Gone
by serenitysea
Summary: Chloe Sullivan is determined to find out the truth behind her father's death and Lex is determined to do everything he can to prevent it, while helping her cope with her loss. Of course, this is a very jaded Chloe, and things don't go exactly as planned.
1. Prologue

"GONE"  
  
PROLOGUE  
  
PG-13  
  
(Serenity_Sea@yahoo.com)  
  
Author's notes: I need to practice Lex-isation for "Never Is A Promise," and while I've gone back and forth between Lana and Chloe, I've decided that Lana is just too fairy-princess for Lex. He needs someone to call him on his BS and our favorite blonde is just the one to do it. While I admit, that the plot line is a bit clichéd, why is it that Lana always moves in with Lex but never Chloe? Hence, "Gone" was born. Read and review.  
  
DISCLAIMER: If I lied and said I owned the characters, reality-Luthor-like people would come after me with lawsuits. Unfortunately, I don't have Luthor-like-lawyers, so that's not a claim I can make.  
  
DISTRIBUTION: You want it, it's yours. Just let me know where it's going.  
  
SPOILERS: S2, through Prodigal.  
  
Summary: When Gabe Sullivan dies, Chloe has nowhere to go. Lex takes her in and tries to help her cope with the loss of the only real parent she ever had. Of course, this is a very jaded Chloe, and things don't always go exactly as planned. Chlex.  
  
Update List:   
  
"If you're gone-maybe it's time to come home." -If You're Gone, matchbox twenty  
  
* * *  
  
Chloe Sullivan was a mess.  
  
The perfect makeup job she'd had Lana apply this morning, while more subdued than usual, couldn't hide the pale face behind it. Lifeless green eyes moved listlessly across the attendees as she mechanically brought a Kleenex up to her nose to wipe away the tears she had no control over. It was the same tissue she'd been using for the past fifteen minutes, however, and was starting to show some wear.  
  
Out of the corner of her eye, a white handkerchief dangled. She reached unseeingly; instinctively knowing whom it was without bothering to spare him a glance. She was in Hell, and he knew it. The only thing he could do for her now was keep her well supplied with clean tissues and make sure the dirty snot rags were disposed of. Mascara streaks trailed daintily down her cheeks, something that she would have hated, had she known.  
  
Because nothing about Chloe Sullivan was dainty.  
  
Dainty was a word that belonged in the realm of Lana; not Chloe. Chloe preferred words like strong, capable, and plucky. Actually, plucky had never been a favorite, it was just something her father teased her-*had* teased her-with and she wanted to keep it in her memory as a form of respect.  
  
Every now and then she would nod at the people who hugged her or whispered sympathies quietly. She couldn't bear to meet Lana's sad-eyed gaze, for it meant that she would be subjected to long talks about her dead parents and how "it gets easier with time."  
  
Well, maybe that was true, but she wasn't feeling any better yet, and if she had to listen to Lana's empty condolences, she'd scream. Honestly, she would. At the top of her lungs, just to get it out there and maybe because she wanted to see what people would do.  
  
They would probably just shoot her looks of pity and let it pass because, after all, she was just 17 and her father had died.  
  
'Her father was dead.'  
  
Even when she stood alone at his grave, after it had been covered, staring at the cold block of granite, did she have trouble believing it. 'Gabriel John Sullivan, Beloved Father and Husband.' Chloe thought that was unfair. After all, her mother hadn't surfaced for the memorial service, or shown any interest in seeing her when the obituary ran in the Daily Planet. Chloe wasn't stupid. She knew her mother could read just as well as any other person.  
  
She just didn't care.  
  
Oh, well. Just another person to leave her behind.  
  
First her mother, then Clark-for Lana-and now her Dad.  
  
At least there was no one left to leave her now.  
  
Except for Pete, and she had a feeling he was going to stick around for a while. Even if she didn't want him to. Which was starting to be an okay idea.  
  
But there was this ache in her chest, where her heart used to be. It wouldn't go away and it felt like that time when those meteor-freaks had thrown her out the mansion window. The same mansion she was living in right now.  
  
That was the other clincher.  
  
Her father, in his will, knowing that no one would be able to care for his daughter, had left explicit instructions for her to be boarded at the Luthor Castle. Lex Luthor, playboy billionaire, Smallville's very own black sheep, at a ripe old age of 23, had been given custody of one Chloe Brielle Sullivan, aged 17. It was to remain that way for the next 18 months, until she was recognized by the law as a legal adult, and able to deal with the mean and cruel ways of the world.  
  
The lawyer's words, not hers.  
  
She honestly didn't know who was more shocked by the news; Herself, Lex, or Lionel Luthor, who suddenly found himself with another potential 'heir,' after having his very real flesh and blood son come home no less than two months earlier. And, irony of all ironies, while Luthor/LexCorp had fully intended to pay for the services and any schooling necessary, as well as expenses incurred until she was of legal age, she sure as hell bet that they didn't expect to have another member of the household until Lex tried to get hitched again.  
  
It had been looking rather serious with that doctor, she mused, but apparently, the idea of a 17-year-old housemate put a damper on romance and so Dr. Helen Bryce had accepted her position at Johns Hopkins. Or so the Planet said. Chloe herself wasn't sure, as she'd been fully shirking her reporting duties for quite some time, but she thought Lex had looked a little relieved after coming home from the hospital that evening.  
  
Strange that it should stand out in her mind while the other nights of the past two weeks and her stay at the castle had swirled into one, giant blur. She'd been off coffee during that time, hoping it would cure her insomnia. Instead she found herself roaming the dark, creepy hallways of the manor in search of something even she didn't yet know. And every morning she would wake up in her bed on the second floor, after falling asleep in a room she wasn't familiar with.  
  
Gradually, she became aware of someone speaking to her and moved her head through the fog that was threatening to take over her world. Deep blue eyes looked concernedly into hers and she forced her brain to translate what he was saying.  
  
"-should get inside, it's starting to rain."  
  
* * *  
  
"Chloe. We should get inside, it's starting to rain."  
  
She just stared at him blankly. Lex leaned down, trying to see past the death and despair written clearly in the green depths, hoping that somewhere, there was a workable mind and that her spark for life hadn't been extinguished, just diminished until she was strong again.  
  
He worked his jaw, trying to figure out a way to get her to move, to do *something*, so it didn't look so much like *she* was the one who belonged six feet under, instead of her father. He could see his father standing alone on the balcony, waving them in while a servant held an umbrella over his head.  
  
Lex resolved to speak with him later, to warn him away from the young woman in front of him who was so close to shattering into a thousand tiny pieces, for anything Lionel tried on her would be devastating. He would break her before she had any chance to heal and that worried him. It wasn't even that Lionel was always aware of it, it was just something he did; it was, as he himself had recognized, in his nature.  
  
A gargled sound suddenly came out of Chloe's mouth. She swallowed several times and shook her head, feeling the rain drenching them both. "Lex, what are you doing out here? You should be inside, you'll get sick with your wet head."  
  
Even though the concern for him was unnecessary and outrageously misplaced, he smiled inwardly, taking her by the shoulder and began to steer them both in the direction of the house. "I don't get sick, Chloe. But I'll survive if you need to stay out here longer."  
  
She looked behind her at the empty trees and shook her head, rain droplets flying everywhere, including his wet suit. "Why am I here, anyway?"  
  
If he hadn't been finding her in odd rooms in the mansion every night, or seeing the blank look in her eyes more often than not, Lex would have smirked at seeing the formerly snarky reporter disoriented. But he was worried, for her physical and mental health. A maid had knocked on the office door last night to inform him that all of "Miss Chloe's" clothes were too big and she would need something appropriate to wear for the service.  
  
Getting the simple black dress was no problem. Lex knew she would never wear it again, and would probably have someone discreetly remove it when she wasn't in her room. But the fact that she wasn't sleeping, hadn't eaten, and barely spoke two words was beginning to send him into a panic.  
  
Because, like it or not, for better or worse, she was his responsibility now. For reasons only god knew, Gabe had left her in his care. And he was going to do everything in his power to make sure she came out of this alive.  
  
"You ran out here when Mr. Ross came up to you inside," Lex told her gently, watching for any change in expression. "I came after you to make sure you were okay."  
  
She blinked forcefully, trying to sort out his statement and causing more black raindrops to run down her face in the process. "Oh," she replied vacantly, looking like a lost child in a huge city. "I guess I must have freaked out."  
  
For her to freak out would be a welcome change, Lex thought bitterly. Anything was better than the way she was handling this with robotic-calm. He assumed she couldn't face Mr. Ross because he was her best friend's father, and more than likely had an irrational fear that he would leave too; so she decided to leave first.  
  
Lex knew this because he'd felt the same way after his mother died.  
  
"Do you want to go inside now?"  
  
She stared at him like she wasn't really seeing him. Like she was focusing on something beyond him and it sent chills down his back. A second later, her eyes cleared and she shivered. He removed his wet jacket and placed it around her shoulders. "Okay," she whispered, wrapping the soaked garment around her like a security blanket. "Okay," she repeated quieter this time, looking up at him expectantly.  
  
With a start, he realized she was waiting for him to bring her inside. Lex got a weird sensation of what parenthood must have been like for Gabe, as he saw the tiny blonde remain in the storm for his lead. Shaking his head, he placed an arm around her shoulders and offered her what warmth he could as he led them slowly to the castle.  
  
The wind moved through the trees restlessly, scattering rain all over them, but neither noticed as they headed towards the brightly shining lights. They were too wrapped up in world that no longer existed.  
  
And Chloe Sullivan was realizing that the world was a very scary place, indeed.  
  
* * *  
  
End Prologue.  
  
I know, I know! I'm sorry, I didn't want to have to kill him off, but I had to! Really, I did! It's for the good of the Chlex future!  
  
But you should be forewarned that the next few chapters are going to be more or less the same. Darkness abounds because grief isn't something that you get over in a week. Lucas Luthor will also be coming home, and finding a new housemate in the process. If you can hang on for a few chapters, I guarantee you'll be happy. I am beginning to believe I am a Chlexer and there will be some hurt/comfort between them very, very soon.  
  
Don't forget to review! 


	2. Chapter One

"GONE" CHAPTER ONE  
  
Notes, Disclaimer, Archiving, Spoilers and Summary: See PROLOGUE.  
  
UPDATE LIST:   
  
"If you're gone-maybe it's time to come home." -If You're Gone, matchbox twenty  
  
* * *  
  
(One Month Later.)  
  
2x(2 + 6)(x + 1) =?  
  
3x(4 + 2) * 2x(3+5) =?  
  
Chloe's pencil tapped back and forth on her Algebra II textbook, wondering if osmosis truly worked, and if so, would you go about it by placing your head against the back or the front of the book.  
  
"While your impersonation of Ms. Spears is downright scary, do you suppose there is an easier way to signal for help?"  
  
She moved in the deep leather couch to see Lex standing above her, hands in his pockets. When he'd moved, she wasn't sure, but it was a bit disconcerting to see him so close. She scooted back as far as the modern couch would allow and let him pull the textbook out of her hands.  
  
"I'm sorry. I didn't know I was even doing it."  
  
"You never stuck me as the type who would replicate her actions by choice. If you're that stumped, maybe you should call it a day. It's not as if it won't be here tomorrow." Lex didn't smile, but the look he bestowed on her wasn't particularly unkind, and she was confused. He was being nice. Lex wasn't nice. Not to her. Maybe to Clark, but after all, he *had* saved his life, and she supposed there was a clause in a contract somewhere that said you had to be nice to people who saved your life. She wondered if she would have to be nice to Lex, because he was trying to save her life right now. If not from death by algebra, and thereby boredom, than simply by keeping her occupied so she didn't have to dwell on. . . unpleasant things.  
  
Chloe curled up in one of Clark's old sweatshirts that Martha had brought over with the produce two days ago. Lex didn't have sweatshirts lying around; at least, not the big ones that you could just disappear in when you didn't feel like seeing how loose your jeans really were, because the thought of swallowing that perfectly prepared meal was just too much to handle.  
  
"Chloe."  
  
She looked up. "Sorry. What did you say?"  
  
Lex sat down on the table across from her and leaned close so that he could be eye-level with her. A part of him wanted to take her hand, but realized that she might be a bit freaked by that at this point in time, so he settled for a 'straight into your eyes until there's nothing else to look at' gaze instead. It was one of the few things that worked when nothing else would get and hold her attention.  
  
"Stop." She looked up, startled, and dropped the hoodie strings she'd been playing with absently. "No, not that," he sighed, feeling like the big bad wolf and unable to help but smooth back some of her hair carelessly, inadvertently surprising them both. "I mean, stop apologizing. You have *nothing* to be sorry for. And stop walking on eggshells around me. You won't piss me off. I tolerate frustrating people on a day-to-day basis. What I *won't* tolerate, however," he continued, "Is the way you act around me. I'm not going to kick you out if you break something or want to have a temper tantrum. I'm not going to get upset if you need something and we don't have it here. Chances are, I'm not going to have half the stuff you need simply because I'm a guy and I don't *know* what you need." She would have smiled at this remark, but her muscles were out of practice.  
  
"Treat this place like it was your home, Chloe. Because that's how it's going to be for a while. And I won't have you uncomfortable or miserable if there's something we can do about it. Understand?"  
  
Chloe nodded.  
  
"Good." He ran a hand over his scalp. "What do you feel like eating?"  
  
Her eyes shifted away and he cursed his staring abilities. He *knew* they had to be worked up; she was no ordinary business partner and wasn't afraid of him. At least, he *hoped* she wasn't afraid of him.  
  
"I'm not really-"  
  
Obviously, other tactics would have to be brought into play. "-Enough lying," he cut her off; rising and feeling his temper start to simmer. "You haven't eaten in days, you look like a skeleton, and you've all but vanished in that sweatshirt. I realize that Clark is a buy guy, but seriously. If you don't eat something soon, I'm going to have to get an IV hooked up to your arm."  
  
"But I want to vanish," she said quietly, not rising to his threat. "If I vanish, then it won't hurt so much. Everything is too bright, too loud, and too *colorful*. I can't stand it. I just wish it were all gray. At least if it was, then I wouldn't have to care."  
  
He knew he was in very dangerous territory right now. "Care about what, Chlo?" Lex asked quietly, neither of them noticing the shortened use of her name.  
  
She turned pain-filled green eyes on him, and he felt the anguish slam into him, worse than any one of his previous-and frequent-concussions. "That I'm still here and he's. . . not."  
  
Two tears dripped heartbreakingly down her cheeks and he cursed himself for not having done this sooner. With a swiftness that was still gentle, Lex moved her over and awkwardly maneuvered his arm around her shoulders. Slowly, very slowly, she cried soundlessly until there were no tears left. Then she just stared at him and laid her head on his shoulder. He waited until her breathing deepened into sleep before allowing an angel-soft kiss to her forehead.  
  
"You are going to get through this. I swear."  
  
* * *  
  
The next morning, Chloe woke up in a room she wasn't familiar with. It was dark, and she found that she liked darkness a lot. Darkness was good; you could hide from people in the darkness. She rolled over, closed her eyes, and went back to sleep.  
  
* * *  
  
Lex stared at the blonde in his bed. It wasn't the first time there'd been a blonde in his bed, and it probably wouldn't be the last. It was just he first time he hadn't had sex with her first.  
  
Last night, after falling into an exhausted sleep in his arms, Lex realized he had a bit of a situation on his hands. Literally. If he put her in her own bed, as he had been doing for the past seven weeks, she'd wake up sometime in the night, wandering the halls like a ghost. God knew she looked like one. So he had one of two choices. Stay in this uncomfortable couch the entire night, and wake up with some aches in very odd places, or go up the stairwell in his office that led straight to his room.  
  
After all, if she was getting sleep, there was no reason why he shouldn't.  
  
So he'd carried her upstairs and gone to sleep at the early hour of eight. Apparently, Chloe wasn't the only one exhausted.  
  
Now he had another dilemma.  
  
It was Tuesday. Tuesday meant his weekly phone call from Lucas, who had been hinting about coming home for a brief visit. Lex wasn't sure he wanted to open that can of worms just yet. His brother or not, he was loud and obnoxious and very much a teenager. In comparison, Chloe now possessed the demeanor of a very depressed 30-year old orphan. And Lucas would shake things up quite a bit.  
  
Maybe he could get him to push it off for at least two more weeks. It was Chloe's house too, and she had some say in the matter. He would bring it up to her over breakfast-which he would now be joining her at, as he would with all of her meals-to make sure she ate *something*.  
  
There was also a project he wanted completed by the end of the week, and that was going to require more of his attention than expected. Lex settled on working at home today. There was no reason why he couldn't, it wasn't as if he *had* to be at the Plant, there was a very capable and well- functioning staff there, and he had a remote uplink on his home laptop.  
  
That settled, he decided to let her sleep in his bed for as long as she needed to. He would check on her sometime after lunch and see if she'd woken up. Until then, there were calls to make, the least of which belonged to Lucas, around 10. It was their custom; Tuesdays at 10, and Lex saw no reason to change it now.  
  
* * *  
  
"So, is she wrecked?"  
  
Lex leaned back in his chair, rubbing a hand over his eyes. Why had he agreed to take this call again? "She's not *wrecked*, Lucas. She's grieving."  
  
"Grieving enough to spend the night in your arms? Yeah, I'll bet it's grief."  
  
"Lucas," he growled warningly, wondering why he'd told his younger brother about Chloe's current state of mind.  
  
The younger teenager sighed. "Jeez. Protective, much? What, you think I'm going to corrupt her or something?"  
  
"The thought *had* crossed my mind." Lex replied dryly, shifting his attention to the plant productivity spreadsheet.  
  
Lucas made a rude noise. "Please. That's Dad's thing, not mine. Besides, doesn't she have any other friends to keep her on the straight and narrow?"  
  
"She did. Except half of them are gone now. Lana Lang moved to Metropolis with her aunt, until the end of the school year. Pete Ross hates my guts because Dad stole his father's land. And Clark can only drop by so much."  
  
"Man, they weren't kidding when they named it Smallville." He took a deep breath. "So. You want me to wait a few weeks until she's. . . *stable*?"  
  
Lex's hand hovered over the mouse. "I beg your pardon?"  
  
He could feel Lucas roll his eyes. "You don't want me to come right now, right?" He asked gruffly.  
  
"Ah. . . "  
  
Lucas became exasperated. "Lex. You said she's a mess. The last thing you need right now is for me to show up and throw her world upside-down, right?" There was no answer. "Come on. You've been debating how to bring it up ever since you answered the phone."  
  
Lex was disturbed that he had picked up on that, partly because they'd only known each other for such a short time, and partly because Lucas was, well, a Luthor. And Luthors didn't do. . . nice. Unless there was an ulterior motive at work here.  
  
"Do you need money?" He asked bluntly.  
  
"What?!" Lucas sounded outraged. "Why would I need money?"  
  
"Why would you willingly offer to do something like this?" Lex countered, closing the laptop and focusing all his energies on the phone call that had shifted into unknown territory.  
  
A long pause. "You know, you're not the only Luthor who can do something nice," he said quietly into the phone.  
  
Lex was dumbfounded.  
  
"Okay then. Well, call me with a date, and I'll show up when she's ready. Talk to ya soon, Lex."  
  
He heard white noise and then heard a dial tone, and slowly hung up the phone.  
  
The day was getting weirder and weirder.  
  
There was a rustling of noise and he saw Chloe stumble out of the stairwell and into his office. Her hair was adorably mussed, and there were pillow creases on her cheek. She blinked a few times, adjusting to the light, aware that he was staring at her and wondering how in the world he'd gotten in this position in the first place.  
  
"Thanks. For um, letting me sleep. . . with you." She would have blushed, if there was any blood left in her system to do so, but it all rushed to her head and suddenly, the room looked black.  
  
Lex shot out of his chair and caught her just before she fell. "Whoa, hang on."  
  
Chloe ruthlessly pushed aside waves of fatigue and used his eyes like they were a beacon. "Sor-" the word died on her lips at his dark look.  
  
"That's it." He reached for a wafer-thin phone resting on the coffee table and stabbed in a number with all the ferocity of a madman. "I need a chicken Caesar salad, cheese fries and a root beer in here as fast as you can. Two cappuccinos would also be appreciated." He had to restrain himself from slamming the phone down and turned to her expectantly.  
  
"Chloe, you are dangerously close to being anemic. You're not leaving until you eat everything that comes through those doors."  
  
She'd never seen him this angry before. Granted, blacking out wasn't high on her list of things to do, but it wasn't like she had a choice in the matter. Though cheese fries sounded really good. . . damn the man for knowing her favorite foods and putting them all together like that!  
  
She took a deep breath. "I heard a mention of coffee?"  
  
A slightly triumphant look flashed across his face before receding into what she was rapidly recognizing at his mask, something he hid behind every day. "You will also drink that when it comes. I have a suspicion that the reason you look half dead is partly because you're undergoing caffeine withdrawal. Just because Lana's not here to run the Talon and give you free coffee, doesn't mean you should go without it. We have several machines that can do the exact same thing, the only difference is that you won't have to wait in line."  
  
Speaking of arrivals, Louis, the head of staff, and Lex's most respected ear at the Castle, walked in with a heavily laden tray. He set it on the table in front of them and lifted the silver covers off to reveal the food Lex had requested minutes earlier.  
  
"Do you need anything else?"  
  
Lex glanced at Chloe, whose eyes had nearly glazed over at the scent of the beverage she'd loved and missed so much. And it sure as hell wasn't root beer. "No, that will be all for now. Thanks."  
  
He got up and reseated himself at the desk, flipping open the computer and continuing to work on the abandoned spreadsheet. He risked a glance over the slim cover. Chloe was gripping the bone-thin china like she'd been in the desert for the past year without fresh water. Finally, some progress. He allowed a smile and got back to work.  
  
* * *  
  
Chloe spent the next few days rediscovering her appetite for food and life in general. She tested everything the way a child tests cold water; with one toe, making sure that it's safe before proceeding. Gradually, she overcame her self-inflicted ban of coffee and drank so much of it, it was hard to tell where one cup ended and another began. There was something to be said for having your own cappuccino maker, she mused, sipping a vanilla latte while sitting on the main landing of the stairs.  
  
She liked to come here and lean her head against a banister, counting the minutes until someone passed by, going from one end of the house to the other. Occasionally, she got the chance to see Lex's business acquaintances ushered in through the front doors and got an idea of why he was so jaded all the time.  
  
These people were boring. She said so, quietly, while sitting by herself, as she took another sip.  
  
"I've always thought so."  
  
Chloe was proud for not splattering the precious liquid all over herself. She was starting to get used to his odd way of starting a conversation in the middle of her thoughts or just popping out of the blue.  
  
He stood up and waited for her to finish her drink. "Come on. I have something I want to show you."  
  
Lex walked them down a long hallway and stopped in front of a regular looking door. He handed her a key and used one of his own to open it. When they stepped inside, her jaw dropped. The entire room was gray. And not just one shade of gray, either. All shades, ranging from light to dark. But entirely gray.  
  
"I suppose it's a bit redundant to tell you that this is the Gray Room, but," he shrugged briefly. "You can bring color and noise in here when and if you see fit. It belongs to you, and the only other person with a key, is me. Not even security can get in." He watched her eyes fill with wonderment. "That doesn't mean you should lock yourself in here for days at a time, but when it gets to be too much for you. . . "  
  
Chloe let her eyes wander over the room. It was simple, and clean, if a bit plain. There was a small, twin-sized bed, nightstand, and large circular table in the center of the room, while a painted wooden bowl filled with gray markers rested atop. A light gray pad lay next to it. There were also two other doors.  
  
Lex followed her gaze. "A bathroom and a closet."  
  
There was one window, with long gray draperies that were currently pulled closed. One entire wall had a built-in, waist high bookshelf. All the books were gray. She wandered over to it and looked at some of the titles. Her old paperback favorites were mixed in with her schoolbooks and there was also some poetry that looked suspiciously like the type found in Lex's study. Displayed in the center of the console, was a flattened-looking CD player, and it currently housed Billy Joel's "Shades of Gray." At the very end of the shelf, two knobs protruded. She pulled and a desk lowered down. On it rested a brand-new Apple computer. . . in Titanium gray.  
  
This must have taken hours. Days, even. And she hadn't heard a peep from anyone, least of all Lex, about it. He had done it for her. A wave of gratitude washed over her and for the first time in a long time, she could feel the beginnings of a smile. It still felt foreign to her, but she forced it out anyway. Then she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.  
  
"Thank you." Her voice was no more than a whisper, but her mouth was right next to his ear and he heard her clearly.  
  
Lifting her clear of the floor, he squeezed her loosely. "You're welcome." Lex set her down gently, and Chloe had the sensation of coming back to Earth.  
  
"I just realized something."  
  
Lex looked at her expectantly. "What's that?"  
  
"There are no mirrors in here."  
  
It was good to see some of her reporter instincts kick back in. "You're right. It was done on purpose. If you want mirrors, Chloe. . . then you have to bring them in."  
  
There was a huge metaphor to that, she knew. She just wasn't sure if she wanted to understand it yet. Suddenly she was very tired and wanted nothing more than to take a nap.  
  
He must have seen it in her eyes because the next thing she knew, he was dragging her over to the bed and pulling back the dark gray comforter for her. She slipped off her shoes and climbed inside, asleep before her head hit the pillow.  
  
Lex looked down at her, at how she looked completely out of place in the drab room. She was vibrantly colorful, something he hoped she would realize in the coming days. The room would be a form of therapy for her. He wondered if the day would come when she would be ready to leave the room and lock it up altogether.  
  
'Someday,' he thought, closing the door behind him, knowing she would sleep the night. 'When she's ready.'  
  
* * *  
  
End Chapter One.  
  
How's the pace so far? If things are moving along too fast (or too slow), let me know. The next chapter will be out soon. I just wanted to know if I could do this and if I'd get Lex's character right in the process. Let me know if you have any questions, suggestions, or comments.  
  
Don't forget to review!  
  
If you've made it this far, let me just re-announce that I'm looking for a Smallville beta for this and my other story. All information is on my author page; so let me know if you're interested! 


	3. Chapter Two

GONE CHAPTER TWO  
  
Author's notes: Wow, I had no idea that my foray into Chlex fiction would be so warmly welcomed! Thank you to everyone who reviewed-and those who didn't, but took time to read it anyway. For anyone who's wondering, the story IS Chlex, and any Chlucas interaction is purely platonic. In my other SV story, however, it's the younger Luthor going after our brilliant reporter, so give that a check in a little while.  
  
One more thing-this chapter's a bit longer, seeing as it's more narrative than dialog-y. I hope the length makes up for the time between updates.  
  
Update List:   
  
"If you're gone-maybe it's time to come home."  
-If You're Gone, matchbox twenty  
  
* * *  
  
It took Chloe about another two to three weeks for her reporter instincts to kick back in. They weren't even at full speed yet, and it was more a necessity than anything else. But sitting around the castle all day was getting boring, and because she had a few more days before mid-winter break was over, she decided to start her own little investigation.  
  
* * *  
  
Four days after Lex introduced her to the Gray Room, he'd knocked on the door and asked to come in and talk. She was sitting at the table drawing scribbles on the thick paper, and realized that since she really didn't have anything better to do, and because he'd asked so nicely, that she would let him in.  
  
If he noticed that the room looked almost precisely the same as when she'd been given it, he didn't let on, though she was almost positive he was searching to see if she'd brought in any mirrors. The truth of the matter was, she wasn't ready for mirrors. She wasn't ready to see herself, to see what she'd become. And she had a feeling it was going to be some time before she would.  
  
"We haven't really talked about your," Lex paused, searching for the right word, "expenses. Everything you need, of course, will be covered, but I thought we should go over a few things."  
  
She motioned to the other seat at the table and he sat gratefully, drawing out a thin black leather case and pushing it with two fingers over to her. When she made no move to open it, he continued, "Inside you'll find several credit cards and some cash that will be refilled when necessary. I've already set up two bank accounts for you, one here and one in Metropolis, from which you can draw freely at your discretion. If you require any more money, you can either come to me or use one of the cards-there's no limit on them."  
  
Chloe's brows rose briefly, and he remarked offhandedly, "I'm still not sure that was the wisest thing to do-giving a very savvy woman unlimited funds-but my father assures me that in order to learn how to manage money, you need money. And lots of it, apparently." He considered the very odd conversation he'd had earlier with his father about the proper "allowance" for Chloe, and vowed not to let Lucas know that they were equals in that respect.  
  
Lex cleared his throat. "Any questions?"  
  
She shook her head slightly, keeping her eyes steadily on his in the same unnerving way they had been for the past five minutes.  
  
"Right. Well, I've still got some work to finish-lunch will be in about an hour or two. What do you feel like eating?"  
  
"Doesn't matter." Chloe foresaw the angry look on his face before it fully appeared and added, "I meant, I'll eat whatever you're having."  
  
"Oh. Okay. See you at lunch."  
  
Lex had all but left the room when she called after him. "That staring thing really works, doesn't it?"  
  
Before he could answer, the automatic doors closed, leaving him with the image of Chloe staring after him.  
  
* * *  
  
The money sat on the table for a long time. Chloe stared at it, half- expecting it to spontaneously combust and turn the edges of the table black. When it didn't, she glanced at the very-mod looking clock in the corner and realized that she'd just wasted 20 minutes doing nothing.  
  
As if her brain had permanently taken over and refused to let her body know what was going on, she found herself walking over to the pullout laptop. With a few clicks and keystrokes, she'd located the address that she'd require for later.  
  
She reached for a thin, gray-what else?-phone. "Lex? I need to go into Metropolis next week. By myself. For the day."  
  
* * *  
  
Apparently, having a parent die was pretty much a blanket excuse for the inexcusable. Aside from a very minor initial confrontation about her plans, and a few more questions to get her transportation and meals squared away (Lex was very insistent about her eating habits) Chloe was safely tucked inside a sleek limousine, heading for Metropolis. Last night, she'd had some time to go over her plans and solidify them so she'd be all set for today.  
  
Inconspicuously dressed in a pair of black pants and thick black turtleneck- it was always cold in the manor, Lex preferred it that way-with a big black satchel to hold her things, Chloe waited for the car to arrive by the LuthorCorp building. She'd made up some flimsy excuse that the elder Luthor had some of her father's files-which was complete BS, and Lex knew it; Gabe had worked for LexCorp, and his files were accordingly housed at the Smallville Plant-but needed to be in the heart of the city to accomplish her mission.  
  
Being the smart girl that she was, she knew that losing the security Lex had put on her would be the first step. She didn't intend to lose them all day-that might incur future, stricter enforcement-just for about an hour or so, to keep them away while she finished what she had to do and so they couldn't report back to Lex-as she knew they would-on where she'd gone and what she'd bought at that time.  
  
When the driver let her out of the car, she immediately headed for the public bathrooms outside the LuthorCorp building. 'They really *do* give a crap,' she thought, smirking to herself. Black clothes were switched for blue jeans and a slightly darker navy scoop-necked top and thrown inside the bottomless bag. She capped her bright hair with a red beanie and headed out the janitor's entrance.  
  
Two more minutes down wet and poorly lit corridors had her exiting the other side of the block and she headed downtown. It wasn't until she saw the big white apple on the awning in front of her, that she allowed a tiny smile to cross her face. Watching 'Alias' had come in handy, and while nothing as drastic as dying her hair and getting another identity was required for today's outing, she *had* come to refer to it as The Mission.  
  
Chloe pushed open the thick glass doors and walked inside.  
  
* * *  
  
Precisely 25 minutes later, she was walking out of the store, with a slightly heavier bag over her shoulder. There was an office supply store across the street and where she purchased a thick, white binder. That also went into her bag. She checked her watch and headed back for LuthorCorp. She'd been gone for almost an hour. Security would be getting worried. They might have already called Lex.  
  
She would have stopped at a Mac machine to get cash, but knew that a performing a trace on the transfer and getting the video feed for a Luthor who knew his way around such problems wouldn't be very difficult. It was better that she'd said nothing as Lex handed her a few more hundreds and combined them with her earlier stash. It made for an easier transaction when she'd made her purchases and sped up the process so she could move faster.  
  
One of the things that everyone (Pete, Clark, and Lana) had expected of her was the ability to obtain information, and quickly. It was part of her title. She was an investigative reporter. Or so she said. One thing they never took into consideration was the lengths she would go to get the actual information. If Clark knew *half* of what she did on weekends, falling out of Lex's window would have seemed like a walk in the park.  
  
She'd done some pretty crazy things to get a story. Right now it was a tie between hiding in a dumpster for three hours, only to be emptied in a garbage truck that was driven to the outskirts of Metropolis very late at night, and the time she'd snuck into the penthouse apartment of a very prominent senator and had to fake her way out of it as a lost collage student. (Yeah, it hadn't gone too well.)  
  
Not for the first time, she wondered why her father-the closest person to her on the earth, the man who knew her the best-had placed her with Lex. Why not someone like Nell? The Kents were out for the obvious reasons; Clark and money. Pete's family already had too many kids, and she had a feeling Judge Ross would not look so kindly on her "investigative habits," especially when they sometimes (most of the time) fell on the wrong side of the law.  
  
But she had cousins in Metropolis; they'd come to the funeral. She hadn't wanted to see them then, but family was always a nice thing to fall back on. In her defense, she hadn't really wanted to see anyone that day, and her memory of it was still very blurred around the edges.  
  
And somehow she'd gotten stuck with Lex. Or vice versa.  
  
Poor guy.  
  
* * *  
  
Trevor Raines was precisely 23 seconds from walking into his boss's office to tell him that his best men had lost the young girl when he got a call from his main guy in Metropolis.  
  
"We found Tinkerbell. She's only been gone for about 45 minutes-she ducked into the bathroom, and walked out, no different, just now. She apologized for taking so long and we're heading for the mall now."  
  
He sighed. "Watch her like a *hawk*, Sam. She's smart and resourceful; if anyone can get away from us, it's her. He doesn't want her out of sight for at least the next six months; figures she's a bit of a loose cannon. Frankly, I don't blame him."  
  
"Got it, Boss. She's getting out of the car now. We won't let her out of our sight."  
  
"See that you don't." He ended the call and closed his eyes for a few seconds, trying to gather his wits. Either way, he had to go see Him. He'd want to know, if he didn't already.  
  
Chloe Sullivan was an extremely wise young woman. She knew how to make the most out of a situation. That she'd done something other than given his men the slip didn't even cross his mind. She knew what she was doing and he'd bet his next month's paycheck that she'd had her own agenda before the car even left the Manor.  
  
He knocked on the door and waited for admittance.  
  
Lex was sitting at his desk, fingers steepled, alternating his gaze from the computer screen to Raines himself. "What happened?"  
  
"Security lost her for a short time. They have her back now."  
  
"Is she okay?"  
  
"She's fine." He took a deep breath and locked eyes with his employer. "If I may speak freely, sir," Lex waved him on negligently, "I believe Miss Sullivan had her own excursion planned before entering the city."  
  
Lex nodded slowly, considering. And what he said next threw Raines for a loop. "I know she did. I was expecting it."  
  
Raines was confused. "Sir?"  
  
Lex rose from his seat and wandered over to pool table and lazily racked the balls into the triangle. "Let's just say I would have been worried if she didn't." He pulled a cue off the wall and leaned over the table, preparing his shot. From beneath hooded eyelids, he looked at Raines. "Was there something else?"  
  
"You don't want us to find out where she's been?"  
  
Lex released the cue with a satisfying crack. "It's not really necessary, is it? Let her have her freedom. After all," he moved around the other side of the table and sent two striped balls flying into separate pockets, "her father just died."  
  
It was from the ironic twist of his lips and lilt to his voice that Raines discerned Lex either knew where the young woman had gone, or at least had a very good idea, and was content to let it lie. "Understood."  
  
"Inform me when she's on her way home, would you?"  
  
"Of course, sir." He pulled the doors shut behind him and Lex stared at the dark mahogany for a few moments.  
  
Then he reached for the phone. "Lucas? I need you to go check out something for me in Metropolis."  
  
* * *  
  
Chloe realized she was being followed before she'd hit her third shop in the five-level mall. There were the good guys, the two security guys that Lex had briefly introduced her to earlier this morning, and she knew they kept a comfortable distance. Normally, she would ask them to dress in less conspicuous clothes and have them walk with her, but today she was feeling very solitary. Over the past few weeks, she'd gotten used to Lex popping in to check on her every now and then, gotten used to eating her meals with someone more suited to be her older brother than her father (she had a feeling Lex had personally requested that Lionel take his meals separately when staying in Smallville), become gradually accustomed to seeing his face before going to sleep at night.  
  
The first time she'd woken up in his room, in his bed, her first thought had been as far from 'I've-been-mourning-my-father-for-two-months' as possible. It had been more along the lines of 'Oh-my-god, I'm-in-Lex- Luthor's-bed-and-I-don't-remember-how-I-got-here.'  
  
That had been immediately followed by, 'Damn.' Then she'd realized what line her thoughts were taking and freaked herself out beyond words. He was six years older than her, he was *Clark's* friend, he was her *guardian*, for God's sake! Not to mention, emotionally unavailable.  
  
Though she wasn't too big on emotion right now.  
  
Even with her mind processing a thousand thoughts per second, she was sharp enough to realize when she was being tailed. Every time she turned unobtrusively to check behind her, the person evaded her. At first she thought she was imagining things, but she'd followed enough people to know what it felt like. It was almost like having a sixth sense; you felt their eyes on the back of your neck (when you had short hair, this was much more intensified than say, Lana), you got nervous, every turn you made felt like someone was making it too. You began to check yourself in every reflective surface, trying to catch a glimpse of your shadower.  
  
She was very close to stopping short and demanding just who in the hell was following her-either security didn't know or didn't care, maybe the person didn't pose enough of a threat; but appearances could be very deceiving- when someone all but body-checked her into a garbage can.  
  
It surprised her that she went down so quickly, and easily, and fleetingly thought that maybe Lex had the right idea with this whole eating theory. Then she looked up to see a young man, maybe early to mid-twenties, garbed in a black leather jacket and dark jeans.  
  
"I'm so sorry," his voice sounded eerily familiar and yet insincere at the same time, "are you all right?"  
  
Before she could answer, he'd gathered up her bags and handed them over to the two security men. They hovered so closely over her, making sure she was okay, that she was unable to get a closer look at him, and hadn't had the chance to fumble at his sunglasses to see what color his eyes were.  
  
Inwardly cursing her luck and getting irritated at the way the two were fussing over her, she shot up from the floor. "Enough! I'm fine!"  
  
A young mother walking past with her son shot her a disapproving look. Probably thought she was some spoiled rich girl.  
  
'Well, she's got one-part of it right,' she reflected, automatically checking her satchel to make sure all paper and plastic was accounted for. 'But that doesn't explain why that guy was following me.'  
  
"I'm finished." She announced purposefully, heading for the doors. One of the men radioed for the limo, which was waiting at the curb when they walked into the not-so-gentle breeze.  
  
Chloe climbed in and rested against the plush leather gratefully. Being intrepid sure took a hell of a lot out of you. She was exhausted; mentally and physically. Her investigation would have to wait for later. When she got home, Lex would no doubt want a full report on her day-or at least an abbreviated, edited version-and she needed to start thinking about what to say.  
  
She looked out the window and saw the bumper-to-bumper traffic.  
  
For now though, she could close her eyes. The rest of it could wait.  
  
* * *  
  
Lex knew the two men Raines had placed on Chloe. Max and Sam. Sam and Max, two of a kind, both happy newlyweds to two lovely women waiting patiently at home for them in Metropolis. He decided that he would let today's indiscretions slide, even though there was no way Chloe should have escaped them, nor should Lucas had gotten that close.  
  
But he was starting to believe that there was the occasional good in people and that sometimes, just sometimes, mistakes were made and learned from. That, and he knew Chloe would pick up on it immediately if he fired them.  
  
The thought, however, crossed his mind, especially when he saw from his office window, Max-or was it Sam?-carrying her small form inside the manor. The first thought that flew into his mind was that she was injured, or had been harmed.  
  
He moved from his desk and left the office so quickly that he nearly plowed into his father.  
  
"What's the hurry, Lex?"  
  
He spared him a glance and continued in the direction of the front hall. "You wouldn't understand."  
  
That was why he didn't hear Lionel mutter softly, "I understand more than you think, son."  
  
Because he was already meeting security at the door, taking Chloe out of the other man's arms and bringing her personally upstairs. She was out cold, but they assured her it was pure exhaustion. Seeing the dark circles under her eyes, he had to agree and wondered if school in two days time would be the wisest move.  
  
"Wha-Lex?" Her eyes opened, still cloudy with sleep.  
  
He smiled gently in the darkness, grateful that she couldn't see. "It's me. Go back to sleep. We can talk later."  
  
Her eyes rolled sharply at his comment, but closed so fast he wondered if they'd even been open in the first place. Within seconds, he knew she'd fallen back asleep-sleeping with someone gave you more than the average insight into that individual's sleeping habits-and absently smoothed back some of her hair.  
  
She was finally resting. That was good. It meant she was starting to heal. The loss of her father was still raw, still deep, and would no doubt be affecting her for some time. But she was moving on, at least in the grieving cycle.  
  
The question was, what, exactly, had prompted it.  
  
* * *  
  
End chapter two. 


	4. Chapter Three

GONE || CHAPTER THREE  
  
|| Author's notes: Seeing as this is an angst-category story, don't shoot me too much for what I'm about to do. Trust me when I say it's going to get better. Major thanks to everyone who reviewed, and totally boosted my confidence. This is definitely another spin on anything Chlex I've ever done, and yes, it will probably take some time before we get to the thick of it, but the set up is absolutely essential to the plot. Notice how I'm still trying to apologize for what you're about to read. *sighs* I've got to stop.  
  
"If you're gone--maybe it's time to come home."  
--If You're Gone, matchbox twenty  
  
* * *  
  
She'd had to fight him to drive her car to school.  
  
Lex was prepared to send her in with a limo, complete with driver, and have him sit there for the six-hour school day. He said that it didn't matter if he spent six hours at the manor, or in the parking lot of Smallville High, just that the driver would still be getting paid.  
  
Chloe refused.  
  
She was *not* going to show up in a limo.  
  
Not only would it be super embarrassing, Pete would never let her live it down. Clark might understand, but even *he* would be hard pressed not to comment on it.  
  
She rolled her eyes as Lex gave out the alternative and decided that she really was going to have to go to bat here. "No, Lex. You are not driving me to school, either."  
  
The man looked like he was fighting very hard to restrain his temple. She wondered idly if his blood pressure was higher these days. "Chloe, I just don't think you should jump into this so quickly. What if something happens?"  
  
He was referring to, of course, if she had a crying breakdown in the middle of rural Kansas, of the off chance that a semi would be coming down full speed and turn her into raspberry jam all over the road. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility. She could happen to think of something that reminded her of her dad, or something they were supposed to go and do; something unexpected that would just jump out and *grab* her by the throat, hurting her so much she couldn't breathe.  
  
That was when she usually retreated to the gray room.  
  
But this was something she had to do on her own.  
  
They had been on their way to the dining room when they'd started the conversation, now she moved inside and sat down in her usual seat, not waiting for him to be settled as she continued, "You're always telling Clark how he needs to take the initiative, to make a move."  
  
His brow rose as he reached for his coffee. "I didn't know you felt that way about Lana."  
  
She was too into getting out her argument to even blush at the implication. "First of all, ew. Secondly," she shook her head. "There is no secondly. How do you expect me to move on with my life if you coddle me all the time?"  
  
Lex stiffened slightly. "I'm not trying to coddle you, and I apologize if I gave you that impression. I just don't want you to get hurt."  
  
Chloe let her eyes close against a sudden wave of tears that threatened to overload her emotional defenses. "Lex, I've been hurt before. Maybe this time, I need stitches instead of a band-aid to make it better, but I have to believe it will get easier to deal with. It *has* to. I can't get any lower."  
  
While he was usually good at cloaking how he felt, the regret was clear in those steel-blue eyes. "Chloe, I--"  
  
She put her hand up, and rose from the table. "Don't. Please." It took a moment to compose herself and fight back the tears, but she did it. "You have no idea how much I appreciate what you're trying to do here, but you've got to let me do some of my own fighting. Okay?"  
  
Lex nodded, keeping his eyes trained on her.  
  
Chloe attempted a smile. "See you after school." She hesitated, then dropped a kiss on his cheek and left the room.  
  
Once the door had closed, Lex sighed loudly and let his head fall against the chair.  
  
He was in way over his head.  
  
* * *  
  
She'd needed five minutes in the parking lot before she could look out her window at Pete, who was standing there quietly. Slowly, like she was out of practice, she grabbed her bag, keys, and coffee, and clambered out of the car.  
  
"Hey," Pete said, causing her to look up at him.  
  
"Hi." Chloe gave him a watery smile. He all but scrutinized her, and she shifted anxiously under his gaze. "Do I pass, Mr. Ross?"  
  
He offered a gentle smile. "C'mere, you."  
  
She gratefully went into his arms and rested her full weight against him for as long as her pride would allow. When she talked about standing on her own two feet this morning, she hadn't been lying. But sometimes it was nice to let someone else share the burden.  
  
"Thanks," she said, pulling away and shouldering her bag. "I needed that."  
  
Chloe turned away from him and started walking.  
  
"Chloe--" He called after her, trying to catch up.  
  
She turned back to Pete and suddenly slammed into something that felt very solid. Almost painfully so. The next thing she knew, she was wrapped up tightly and lifted off the ground. Tentatively, she patted the person on the back and wheezed out, "Hi, Clark. Do you think you would mind letting me breathe sometime this century?"  
  
He set her down so gently she got the impression Clark believed she was made of fine china. "How are you?"  
  
She gave him a funny look. "Clark. You just saw me two days ago. In fact, Lex told me his feelings are hurt because he never sees you when you come to the mansion any more. You feeling okay?"  
  
Clark grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. It's just--it was weird not having you here." As an afterthought, "Did Lex really say that?"  
  
She rolled her eyes and threw her arms around both boys. "Come on, guys. High school drama awaits."  
  
* * *  
  
"Yes. No, you're to remain outside the building, the only time you approach is if she deviates from any of the pre-discussed locations. I don't care if she's with Jonathan Kent--if she leaves town again, that is when--and *only* when--you can follow her." He rolled his eyes and barely restrained himself from slamming the phone down.  
  
"More ignorant people, Lex?"  
  
He looked up from his phone to see his brother biting back a grin. Lex shook his head and his aggravation dissipated. "Lucas. When did you get here?"  
  
The young man gave his brother a gauging look and sat down. "Five minutes ago. Louis wanted to show me in--I told him that I'd only gotten lost once last time and he let me make the trip on my own."  
  
"You got lost?"  
  
He rolled his eyes at his incredulous tone. "No. Photographic memory. And besides--I never get lost."  
  
Lex sat up and pushed his papers aside. "So. What brings you to Smallville? Thought you were being a good Samaritan."  
  
Lucas smirked. "I am. Just thought you like to know how things went the other day, with Blondie."  
  
"Blondie? You're aware that if Chloe heard you just now, she'd rip your head off?"  
  
He shrugged. "Don't I have some sort of immunity when I walk in that door?"  
  
"Not when you call her *that*."  
  
Lucas watched him carefully. "It really bothers you. Wow. I mean, it *really* bothers you."  
  
"Consider me offended on Chloe's behalf." Lex responded dryly, hoping to dispel the glow in Lucas' eyes.  
  
"Okay, Lex. Whatever you say."  
  
He sighed and headed for the pool table. Reaching for a cue, he called over his shoulder, "So have you decided when you're going to come visit?"  
  
"You mean I have to go re-pack my clothes? Damn."  
  
"Your Samaritan stint is over? That was fast."  
  
Lucas waited until the balls were racked before he picked up a cue and took a shot. Lex looked annoyed that he had cut in. He didn't care. "Look. Do I think she's up to company yet? Apparently, or else Clark Kent wouldn't have visited you more times than I can count." Off Lex's look he remarked offhandedly, "Checked the visitor logs. You need a new pen, by the way. Point is," he aimed carefully and smiled as the five and the nine flew into the side pockets, "I've got a few things to take care of and she's still dealing with her stuff, so let's give it another week or so."  
  
He took his shot and missed, glancing at Lex expectantly. Lex leaned his hip against the table, giving Lucas the same measuring look he'd received before. "Do you have feelings for my ward, Lucas?"  
  
"Take the shot." He jutted his chin out at the appropriate ball. "And to answer your question--no. Though you might want to ask yourself that question." When the ball went in, Lucas smirked and threw his hand up carelessly. "Thanks for the game, Lex. See you in two weeks."  
  
It took all his self-control not to look back as he exited the room. If he had, he might have seen the brief open-mouthed stare and felt a little better about his visit.  
  
* * *  
  
Treating her like she was made of hand-blown glass was getting old. So was being subjected to people's condolences. Not that she didn't appreciate it, but really, her father had died. What could you say to something like that?  
  
Chloe sighed. Yes, she was being a little harsh. But it was hard having all these simpering girls come up to her and shower her with fake condolences just to hear about what life was like living with Lex. For once in her life, she wished Lana was there--at least she had worked with him, so maybe these weird vibes she got every now and then were just normal.  
  
Though she had been living with him for just under three months, the first two had been a blur. She had been kind of involved with not falling apart every second of the day during that time, so time when she would have ordinarily observed Lex's behavior were. otherwise occupied. Plus, she'd spent a lot of time in her room--the gray room, actually, she hadn't been in her room for what seemed like forever--and the only other time she saw him was at night before she went to bed. His eyes were the last thing she saw before she closed her eyes and the first thing she saw when she woke up the next morning.  
  
Heh. Wouldn't those girls have a field day if they knew that.  
  
"Why are you grinning like that, Chloe?"  
  
Clark and Pete were staring at her expectantly.  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"You had this totally evil grin just now."  
  
She reached up and felt her mouth, trying to ascertain personally if she had been grinning evilly. "I--sorry guys, I was just thinking about stuff."  
  
"What kind of stuff?" Pete asked suspiciously.  
  
"Silly kind of stuff."  
  
"Uh huh. *Sure*," he replied in a tone that implied he really didn't believe her. "Come on, Clark, back me up here."  
  
Clark continued to give her an unblinking stare. Chloe snapped her fingers in front of him. He flinched and shook out of it. "Pete, I think. sometimes she just thinks funny things."  
  
Pete sent them both annoyed looks. "You guys are weird."  
  
"Maybe you should pin a picture of me on the wall, then." She retorted, gathering her things up. "I'm going to the Torch office--" they scrambled to get to their feet and she hastily added, "--by *myself*."  
  
* * *  
  
When she saw her office door, she nearly lost it. She unseeingly reached for the doorknob and turned.  
  
Locked.  
  
Out of all the possible scenarios. she started to laugh. It was hysterical. The one place she could go for comfort, and the door was locked. Hoping against hope, she dug around into her purse and scrounged around at the bottom of the bag. Just when she was about to give up, her fingers snagged something that felt suspiciously like metal. She pulled it out and was surprised to see a card attached to it.  
  
Quickly unlocking the door before the rest of the student body thought she'd lost her mind, Chloe made her way in and let it close behind her. In the past, it had meant that the Torch was closed. Today? Today, it meant that she didn't want to be disturbed. People would assume she was working hard on a story, or getting readjusted to her reporter-life, and she was okay in letting them think that.  
  
She flipped the lights and exhaled shakily. 'Home,' she thought, even though every fiber of her body protested it. Home was the nice house she'd shared with Lana and her father the past few months, home was the place she'd first learned that she was no Martha Stewart but when push came to shove, she could make a mean grilled cheese; home was where her heart was.  
  
And her heart felt like it was left behind in the shuffle.  
  
Absently, as she powered on her computer, she wondered what had happened to all her things from the house. Lex had probably had them moved and placed discreetly in some sort of storage. He knew she would want them someday; he was very good at anticipating what she would need. It would have unsettled her if it wasn't such an overwhelming relief.  
  
Automatically, she fell back into her old routine, firing up her internet browser, going to the usual sites for more Wall of Weird material, checking message boards she had posted at, pulling email. Things went smoothly until she got to the bottom of the email.  
  
There were two messages from her dad. Both were dated the night he'd died.  
  
Her eyes slammed shut tightly as she willed the image of 'gsullivan@Lexcorp.com' as far away as possible. When she opened them moments later, they hadn't, as she hoped, miraculously disappeared. With a strength she hadn't known she'd possessed, she brought her mouse over to the subject header. It hovered there momentarily, and she gave herself one last chance to back out before clicking on it decisively.  
  
- - - - - - - - -  
  
To: csullivan@smallvilletorch.com From: gsullivan@lexcorp.com  
  
Hey, honey. Just wanted to check and see how you were doing. I don't know if I'll be home in time for dinner--or if you'll even get this email, since it is kind of late--but I just wanted to let you know not to wait up for me. I spoke with Lana over the phone a few minutes ago, and she's going to be home around the usual time.  
  
Lex is really pushing this new project at the plant. I can't really go into it--it's classified--but it really is some interesting stuff. We're both excited about the outcome, and I only hope this brings him some sense of progress. Lately, it seems as though he's been down a bit more. God knows he's got enough on his shoulders. He was telling me about his younger brother, Lucas. Boy sounds like a handful.  
  
But I didn't send this so I could dump my thoughts all over you. I know I don't need a reason, but I wanted to let you know that I love you so very much. And that you will probably have no idea of just how proud I am. Chloe, you are turning out to be a remarkable young woman, and I see so much potential in you, sweetheart. Don't ever give up.  
  
See you tonight.  
  
Love, Dad.  
  
- - - - - - - - -  
  
Chloe hadn't even realized she was crying until something wet hit the keyboard. She printed the letter out so she could reread it later, and moved onto the next one. It was dated 38 minutes after the other one.  
  
- - - - - - - - -  
  
To: csullivan@smallvilletorch.com From: gsullivan@lexcorp.com  
  
Sweetheart, I--  
  
And that was as far as she got, because the computer abruptly went black. She frowned, and hit the space bar. Maybe the computer had decided to go to sleep on her. Nothing happened. She hit it again. Still black. She tried it a third time and that was when she started to worry.  
  
Pushing her feet firmly onto the floor, she used the wheels on her chair to slide over to one of her filing cabinets. She dug through the drawers until she found the computer manuals and went back to her station. Flipping recklessly through the pages to the back, in the troubleshooting section, she didn't even notice as she ripped several on the way.  
  
It took her several failed attempts at restarting her computer and two phone calls to the company provider to realize that it was hopeless.  
  
She wasn't going to get that email.  
  
For the first time all day, Chloe put her head down on the desk and started to sob.  
  
* * *  
  
English saw more of the same: teachers apologizing, students staring at her like she was the plague, Clark and/or Pete (who were--oh goody!--in this class, so she got double dosage) hovering anxiously. Thankfully, though, it was a great excuse if you came late to class; which she had, after leaving the Torch. A quick makeup repair and a few last despairing looks sent to her computer had her approximately ten minutes late.  
  
It wasn't until the teacher was explaining verb tenses--which Chloe, being a writer, was naturally quite good with--that she remembered the card attached to the key.  
  
Found this with your things. Had a feeling you might need it. My cell is on if you need me. .Not that you would. Superwoman.  
  
--L.  
  
She raised her hand and waited for the teacher to acknowledge her. "Can I use the pass?"  
  
She saw Pete and Clark exchange looks from the corner of her eye. The teacher nodded and continued her discussion. Chloe grabbed her pocketbook and sailed out the door. If she was late, one of the boys would pick up her books and drop them by the manor later.  
  
Chloe waited until she was in the school courtyard before using her cell phone. She dialed Lex's office number and was patched through by his secretary.  
  
"Luthor."  
  
"Lex, it's Chloe."  
  
"Chloe, what's wrong?" He sounded instantly alert, ready for the worst.  
  
She chuckled lightly. "Calm down, you don't need to have anyone killed. Yet. Do you know a good computer technician?"  
  
There was a long pause, during which she bet he was questioning her sanity, the validity of her question, and whether or not to yell at her for worrying him and calling in the middle of class. Finally, he answered, "Yes. What do you need?"  
  
For some reason, she didn't feel like telling him that an email from her father had apparently crashed her computer. "I guess over the break--" and they both knew this covered longer than the mid-winter period, "--the computer just sort of locked up. I can't get it to start."  
  
"Did you try hitting to 'on' button?"  
  
"I refuse to answer that." She began tapping her foot impatiently, waiting for him to answer her seriously.  
  
"Hey. It's happened to quite a few people before--myself included."  
  
"O-ho! Did the great Lex Luthor just admit to making a mistake?"  
  
He laughed briefly. "It has been known to happen from time to time." There was a rustle on the other end and she imagined he was moving papers aside. Lex was a good paper mover. It made you think he was doing more than he actually was. "I guess you got my note. But why did you wait until English to use it."  
  
She frowned. "Should I be worried that you know what class I'm in right now? Or that you seem to know what classes I was already in?"  
  
"Let's pretend you gave me a copy of your schedule and that I didn't have to wrangle one out of Terrence Reynolds, instead." He wryly answered, neatly avoiding the question.  
  
"*You* asked Principal *Reynolds* for my schedule? And--more importantly--he *gave* it to you?"  
  
"Would I know that you're about 14 minutes from a free period right now if he hadn't?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Well, he did."  
  
"Color me shocked."  
  
"I would, but I'm not exactly sure what color that would be. Purple perhaps?"  
  
She shook her head and sat on a bench. "Obsessed, perhaps?"  
  
"Can I help it if I naturally look good in certain colors?"  
  
"Try blue, Lex. It'll bring out your eyes."  
  
A loaded pause followed. "And you know this because?"  
  
She swallowed audibly. "My dad said he thought you always looked the most reckless when you wore blue. He said everyone should have a reckless color."  
  
Lex was quiet for so long she thought they'd gotten disconnected. "Green's yours." He coughed briefly, and continued, "You should try and get back to class--unless you want to come back to the manor?"  
  
"No. I'll--" she swiped a few tears away, wondering why she was letting his comment get to her, hoping he didn't hear the emotion in her voice, "--be fine. I ought to get back anyway. Pretty soon Clark and Pete will be sending out a search party."  
  
"See you later, then."  
  
"Bye." She had all but replaced the phone when she suddenly snatched it back up. "--Oh, and Lex?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Thank you. For listening." 'And for not hanging up on me,' she mentally added.  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
* * *  
  
He estimated Lucas to be halfway to Metropolis when the number showed up on his phone. "What did you forget?"  
  
"Nothing. She's too skinny, though. Went down like a sack of bricks."  
  
"Picked up on that, huh?"  
  
"Kind of hard not to. You're the one who told me to keep an eye on her."  
  
He adjusted the corner of his paper. "I didn't tell you to take her out, Lucas."  
  
He scoffed. "Your security *sucks*, Lex. What if I was a kidnapper?"  
  
"Then I would hope you'd be getting acquainted with someone named Billy at this point."  
  
Lucas muttered something uncomplimentary under his breath and Lex grinned. "Sure. Love you too, buddy." He hung up the phone and saw Chloe standing in front of him.  
  
"We've really gotta stop meeting like this."  
  
She grinned. "Who was on that phone?"  
  
"Eavesdropping, Chloe? That's really not your style these days, is it?"  
  
She toed the thick carpet. "I was just wondering if you usually spoke to men and professed to loving them." He was about to answer when she added; "he seemed to have put you in a good mood. It was nice to see you back in your element."  
  
"And what is that?"  
  
God, if he would only take his eyes off her for a second. Jeez, it was so unnerving. "Sarcasm. And it was nice to see that extra layer peeled away. You're the one who's walking on eggshells, Lex. You don't need me to tell you that it's not exactly in character."  
  
She had a point.  
  
He cleared his throat and folded his hands on the desk. "How did your day go?"  
  
"It went." She saw his raised brow and continued, "People treated me like you did when I first got here. Like I was a small child. I hate it. But I guess it'll get easier sometime, right?"  
  
Lex stood up and walked over to her. "Chloe. If I'm treating you--like you say I am--it's only because I'm not exactly sure what to do. Neither of us has been in this position before. It's only natural that we have some sort of introductory period."  
  
He was right. Why hadn't she thought of that before? 'Oh, that's right. You were too busy personifying grief to worry about how things would go with him,' her mind chastened.  
  
"Though I guess by sleeping with you, I sort of skipped that period right by, huh?"  
  
"About that--" he started.  
  
"--Hey, you can kick me out any time you want," she cut in.  
  
He treated her to one of his half-smirk, half-smile hybrids. "I know. I was going to ask if you wanted some socks. Your feet are like ice cubes."  
  
She blushed. "Oh. Sorry."  
  
"It's okay."  
  
Louis poked his head in and announced that dinner was ready. Lex said they'd be a few minutes.  
  
Chloe was content to stare at the flames flickering in the fireplace all night but realized they would have to move on sometime.  
  
"Hey, Lex?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Do you think we're weird? I mean, do you think it's weird that we--"  
  
"--Sleep together?" He finished for her, hiding a smile as she colored again. "No. I think it's natural that two people--who have some idea of how to deal when their world's been turned upside-down--would turn to each other for help."  
  
She stared at him. "What could I possibly help you with?"  
  
He gave her one of his more enigmatic smiles. "Maybe one day you'll know."  
  
That night, Chloe slept deeply, her father's note resting safely in a white binder in the Gray Room. She had green socks on her feet.  
  
* * *  
  
The next morning, coffee seized firmly in hand, Chloe breezed by her usual route and headed for the Torch office. She was a bit startled to see the door open but figured that maybe Clark or Pete had needed to use the resources. Nothing, however, could have prepared her for what she saw next.  
  
It had been torn apart.  
  
All her papers were shredded, and strewn haphazardly all over the room and floor. A beam had been knocked out in the center of the room and her bulletin boards had thick, black paint smeared all over them, making it impossible to read whatever had been posted. Out of the four computers, three of the monitors had the glass shattered and the forth was flipped over, on the ground.  
  
She didn't need an expert to tell her the data was unsalvageable.  
  
Archived newsletters and bits of information she'd gathered, everything that had resided in the filing cabinets were gone. Each and every paper was torn apart, some were even covered with the black paint that was on her boards. Her signs had been taken down and stripped of life. Not one thing remained the way it had been yesterday. Her keyboards hung from the broken light bulbs by the cord, looking like some bizarre effigy. Her printer lay smashed at the foot of the desk and the layout table had been chopped in half. This was something that not even Lex's money could fix.  
  
Chloe stared at the chaos before her and a tear made its way down her cheek. A low, keening wail emerged from her throat, drawing the attention of several passing students, not that she noticed.  
  
When Clark found her 10 minutes later, it was too late. The damage had been done.  
  
* * *  
  
Mr. Reynolds,  
  
I regret to inform you that I will be pulling Chloe Sullivan out of your school. In light of recent events, it has come to my attention that keeping her in that environment would be detrimental to her physical, mental, and emotional progress. I had hoped that it would not come to this, but there are some things we just cannot prepare for. I trust that this will not endanger Ms. Sullivan's grades and that everything to make the transition easier--on everyone involved--will be taken care of.  
  
Regards,  
  
Lex Luthor  
  
* * *  
  
End chapter three.  
  
*breathes* My god, that was fast. I literally wrote this chapter in a day. Scary. It's 11 1/2 pages, so you had all better review. And maybe not hate me for what I just did. 


	5. Chapter Four

GONE || CHAPTER FOUR  
  
A/N: I'm taking things a little bit slower with their relationship, but the plot is more important than getting the two of them into bed. Oh. Wait. I already did that. Heh. *composes self* Okay. This chapter may be a little shorter than the others--hell, that last one was a freak--but I wanted to update and it's been waaaay too long. Also, just to remind you: This is set in S2, after Prodigal. You'll note the references in the chapter.  
  
* * *  
  
"Chloe."  
  
The clock ticked loudly in the dining room.  
  
"Chloe."  
  
Was someone speaking? She could hear nothing over the dull roar in her head.  
  
"*Chloe.*" This time accompanied by a hand on her shoulder. She looked up into Lex's cool eyes and felt the noise evaporate.  
  
"What?" Her voice sounded flat, even to herself.  
  
Lex, however, didn't seem surprised or offended. "We need to talk about this."  
  
"So talk."  
  
"I understand this isn't quite what you wanted to hear right now, but we have to at least focus on your schooling. Do you want some sort of instructor, or were you planning on doing it all yourself?"  
  
"I don't care."  
  
His brow rose in warning. "*Chloe*. . ."  
  
Chloe stood up, meeting his gaze head on with dull looking eyes. "You know what, Lex? My father's dead. And now, the only other place I have *ever* felt safe has been destroyed. I can't think about something like school because everything I've ever cared about has been taken away and I can't get it back." She stared at him intently. "My dream's been tarnished by those *bastards* who left my office looking like a war site in the middle of World War Three."  
  
Chloe raised a shaky hand to her head and ignored the dull throbbing that had returned after she'd broken their earlier contact. "And the best part? I give. I can't fight anyone, anymore--least of all you. So do whatever you think is best. You Luthors are good at that."  
  
She was sure to slam the door on the way out.  
  
Lex gripped the chair so hard he thought it would break.  
  
She had picked up on a few things, a few of his traits, and that was to be expected.  
  
But with that speech, she was in danger of becoming every inch a Luthor as he was.  
  
And it wasn't in *her* blood.  
  
* * *  
  
It was probably a good thing she'd bypassed the makeup this morning, waking up well before Lex. Otherwise, she'd be seriously in danger of looking like a raccoon from all this crying.  
  
Sleep had been pleasantly dreamless, for once, but she'd woken up as if in a fog. It took two cups of black coffee (truly a desperate measure, indeed) to get her mind up and running on the bare minimum it needed to get her from one place to another. She'd been in the process of staring at her breakfast when Lex had posed his question.  
  
From what she could tell, he wasn't upset that she'd disappeared after waking, but then again, she didn't know everything about Lex Luthor. She did know, however, that he placed a very high value on knowledge. And up until very recently, she had too. So maybe she had lashed out because she was trying to inflict some of her pain on him.  
  
Chloe sighed and cursed her instincts for being so stubborn. For once, she wished she could turn them off and ignore the voice in her head that was telling her that there was more to her father's death than met the eye. She crossed the room and sat at her table. Underneath, she'd fashioned a sort of secret compartment. From it, she withdrew a white notebook computer and couldn't help her smile.  
  
There was no doubt in her mind that Lex had the computers in the house networked. Her computer in the wall was probably directly linked to his, and whatever she saw, she'd bet her month's allowance that he saw on a little window on his computer, even thought it was half a wing away.  
  
So her big move, her big mission in Metropolis, had been to get another computer. One he didn't know about and couldn't track. She'd had a wireless internet card installed at the store and an untraceable base installed in her room, also underneath the table. Planting it there by herself had taken a little over an hour. The poor room had also been subjected to some language that would have made even the strongest sailor blush, but at least it wasn't visible to the human eye since it was so thin. And every time she thought of using it, a smile broke across her face because she had totally pulled one over on Lex.  
  
She needed to immerse herself into this search, this obsessive need for the truth, to take her mind off everything else. Gabe Sullivan had worked at LuthorCorp since they'd arrived in Smallville and he knew how things worked, maybe even better than Lex himself. Her father hadn't died from a routine maintenance process.  
  
She was sure of it.  
  
* * *  
  
After Lex had had breakfast alone and managed to swallow his pride long enough to look at things rationally, he realized that Chloe was perfectly justified in her outburst. In fact, after his mother had died, he hadn't wanted anything to do with the rest of the world, either. So maybe she needed a break. They could do that. She was more than intelligent, and could pick up what she'd missed in a heartbeat.  
  
He headed for the only place he knew she'd be and knocked on the door. There was no answer. "Chloe. C'mon, I know you're in there." Lex sighed and debated whether or not to use the key in his pocket. He'd already fitted it in the lock when he realized what he was doing. "Damn."  
  
Lex re-pocketed the key and leaned a hand against the wall for support. "I'll be in my office. . . if you want to talk."  
  
* * *  
  
Chloe counted to 100 before she let herself breathe a sigh of relief. That had been close. Too close. What if Lex had used his key to get in and saw what she was doing? After all, it wasn't every day you hacked into LexCorp right under the CEO's nose.  
  
She had a hunch that while her email was lost, her father's wouldn't be. It was hooked up to a network, a network backed by LexCorp--and Lex didn't tolerate failure. Which meant somewhere, on that server, floating in space, was her father's email account with all his documents. The computer was already gone, his office cleaned out for another person to take. But Gabe Sullivan had a knack for keeping things when they didn't necessarily need to be kept.  
  
And she was his daughter.  
  
Who better for the job?  
  
It wasn't until she had the presence of mind to look at the clock at the top of her screen that she realized how much time had passed. She'd missed lunch and Lex hadn't even come to get her. She groaned and stretched her sore joints. She was stiff for sitting still so long.  
  
Steeling herself to make a reentry into the real world, she mechanically put away her computer and made sure it was hidden before checking the room one last time and opening up the door.  
  
Chloe almost tripped over the food tray. Suspiciously, she lifted the lid and saw grilled chicken over a salad. Great. The staff had mixed up her lunch again. She was to have to see Lex again after all.  
  
* * *  
  
Lex was so focused on his work that he didn't see the door open to his study, much less notice the person hadn't knocked beforehand and announced their presence when they came in. He didn't hear the slight clink of the silverware as it knocked the tray solidly and didn't see the intruder smile to herself.  
  
What he did see, five minutes later, was Chloe Sullivan, sprawled on the floor in front of his desk.  
  
Despite his best efforts, he felt his lips curving into a grin. "Can I help you, Chloe?"  
  
She sat with her hands propping her up from behind. "I think I got your lunch." She nodded at the tray. "Because I don't eat stuff like that."  
  
Lex closed down his work and stood up, watching her carefully. Sure enough, there was a lunch tray on his coffee table and he was actually hungry enough to eat it. Chloe remained where she was as he stepped over her to the couch to sit.  
  
She laid back on the floor, glad she'd picked a spot with a rug. "Have you ever played psychologist with your friends, Lex?"  
  
He chewed carefully and answered, "No, I can't say that I have."  
  
"The game is different from the real experience, of course."  
  
"Of course," he gravely agreed, curious to see where she was going with this.  
  
"The thing is. even though you're the one sitting upright, I'm the one who gets to ask the questions. Think you can handle it?"  
  
Lex barely repressed the urge to roll his eyes. So. This was a power play. "Sure, Chloe. Go ahead." He was gearing up for something stupid like, 'what is your favorite color' and why.  
  
She linked her hands behind her head and stared at the pattern on the ceiling. "Why did you agree to this?"  
  
Well, she sure didn't hold back her punches. "Excuse me?"  
  
"You heard me. Just because it was in my Dad's will didn't mean you had to go along with it. You're Lex Luthor. You could have easily gotten out of it. I'm sure there were quite a few loopholes in the thing, after all. And it wouldn't have been too hard to create one, not if you really wanted out."  
  
Lex sat back against the couch and studied the toes of his soft leather shoes. The Italians really knew leather, really knew shoes. He would have to see about getting her a couple pairs. Chloe was watching him, waiting for his answer. "I wanted to," he simply replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.  
  
She sat back up. "Okay. Where's your dad?"  
  
He blinked. "Don't I get to ask any questions?"  
  
"No."  
  
His brows rose. "You're a little demanding."  
  
"Consider this my reward for the interview that was never finished."  
  
Again with the blunt statements. Well, two could play this game. "Metropolis."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because he can see again."  
  
Chloe seemed satisfied with this and was quiet for the next few moments. Finally she asked, "Why are you so intent on seeing my education through?"  
  
He kept his eyes on her and replied, "Because you're too smart to let your whole world fall apart. People die, Chloe. And you move on."  
  
Chloe looked as if he had physically struck her.  
  
Sensing she was about to do something they'd both regret, he continued, "I'm not saying you should try and be someone you're not. But what a terrible waste it would be if you let the past decade of your life go down the drain because you couldn't cope. I can guarantee you will regret that later."  
  
She was smart enough to concede--at least mentally--that he had a point. She hadn't spent all those years in school to have it dissolve after she had a breakdown. Not to mention, her father--if he were still alive--would have never let her get away with it. He'd have been pissed that she even mentioned something along those lines. Bit by bit, she was beginning to recognize the little things that might have influenced her dad's final decision to leave her with the dysfunctional Luthor family.  
  
Lex wasn't going to let her off the hook on this one.  
  
She stood up. Lex continued to eat his lunch quietly, giving her room to decide. He was letting her know this was her choice.  
  
"I want to do this myself."  
  
His smooth expression didn't change. "Sounds reasonable enough. I can get a new course load laid out for you by the end of the week. We'll tailor it to your needs, your strengths and weaknesses, and you can work on them accordingly."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Lex rose from the couch to stand before her. "And if you should need any assistance, we'll have someone on call who can come here to help you understand and reinforce specific concepts. Of course, you can always ask me."  
  
She nodded in agreement and was almost smiling at his last statement. "How do you manage to keep everything straight in that brain of yours, Lex, if you've still got eleventh grade algebra up there?"  
  
"Sheer force of will, Chloe," he deadpanned, moving back to his desk to get things started. "And the occasional round of judo keeps me sharp."  
  
This time, she did smile. "You might have to give me a few more weeks to get back in fighting form."  
  
"Not at all. I thought you did quite well today."  
  
Chloe bit her lip to keep from grinning. "It was a nice change, for a while, y'know? I didn't have to worry about what to say."  
  
Lex stopped what he was doing to look at her and reply seriously, "You *never* have to worry about that with me."  
  
"I know."  
  
Satisfied that she was more or less the girl he'd come to know over the past few weeks, he let her leave the room without further conversation. It was time to set up that visit before she got too snarky to handle.  
  
Lex reached for his phone. "Lucas? What are you doing in about 14 days from now?"  
  
* * *  
  
Okay, that's the end of that. I'm not sure how I feel about it, but I think they resolved the major issues and Lex is seeing that she just needs a little nudge to get her moving in the right direction. What I would *love* is for everyone to grab a favorite line from this chapter--doesn't matter if it's dialogue, narrative, or whatever--and post it in their review. Because it's been so long since I've written this, I still want to know what works and what doesn't.  
  
The next chapter will be fun. Enter Lucas, and one Pete Ross to a scary mansion. *grin* Heh. 


	6. Chapter Five

GONE CHAPTER FIVE  
  
Author's notes: Yay! Lucas! I love Lucas almost as much as I love Lex. He's like Lex without being all cool and rational. A little bit of psycho never hurt anyone.  
  
So Pete had taken the plunge.  
  
Chloe had been en route to the Gray Room when Louis, the man Lex relied on to keep everything in the mansion running smoothly, tapped her on the shoulder.  
  
"Miss Sullivan, there is a Mr. Pete Ross here to see you."  
  
She stopped and reversed direction, heading back toward the main hall. "What did he say?"  
  
"Only that he wished to speak with you, miss."  
  
"I've told you before, Louis. My name is Chloe. You know I'd prefer if you called me that."  
  
"Understood, Miss Chloe."  
  
"Now you're just being cheeky." She muttered, seeing Pete around the bend of the hallway.  
  
Louis had the sense to smother the smile that was threatening to appear. "I would never do such a thing."  
  
"Sure," Chloe left him and called Pete's name.  
  
Pete turned to her with a fleeting grin. "Hey!"  
  
They met halfway and she hugged him to her tightly. When he finally pulled back, there was a strange look in his eye.  
  
"What?" She automatically ran a hand over her hair. "Is there something on my face?'  
  
"No," he hastened to reassure her, slipping an arm around her shoulders. "Just... what was that for?" He asked, referring to the long hug.  
  
There was an odd look in Chloe's eyes when she replied, "Can't a girl miss her best friend these days?"  
  
Pete grinned. "Well, yeah, but--"  
  
"Pete, it's nothing. It if makes you feel any better, pretend it didn't happen, okay?"  
  
He wasn't going to let her retreat into her shell again. "Wait just a second."  
  
Chloe stopped and faced him with her hands on her hips. "What now?"  
  
"You're... different."  
  
"Am I? How so?"  
  
'You mean besides the whole calm-collected thing that I swear you've picked up from Luthor?' He thought. Instead, he managed, "You seem... I don't know. More grounded."  
  
Her brow rose. "And that's a bad thing?"  
  
"No, it's just--" Pete shook his head. "Forget it."  
  
She smirked and folded her arms, leaning against the wall comfortably. "No, go on. I want to hear this."  
  
He sent her a nasty glare. "Now you definitely sound way too much like Lex."  
  
That gave her pause. Without even realizing it, she lifted her chin defiantly and proceeded to stare down her friend, even though she was inches shorter. "And that is a bad thing, yes?"  
  
Pete sighed loudly. "I don't know. Let's just forget this ever happened, okay?"  
  
Unable to help a smile from creeping over her face, she smartly replied, "Wasn't that how this whole conversation started?"  
  
"And so the snark returns."  
  
She beamed. "Yep. I resurrected it sometime last night."  
  
"Took long enough."  
  
"It needed a brief vacation," was her only reply.  
  
He gave a long once over. Still grinning, she stuck out her elbow. Pete accepted as they walked down the hall.  
  
"You know I don't like this, Chlo."  
  
"I thought we were past all of that," she gestured vaguely, giving him a pleading look.  
  
"It's just a little hard for me to adjust, that's all. Clark seems to like him okay, but you're..."  
  
"—What, a girl? You want to go storm into his office and demand that he declare his intentions?" She rolled her eyes. "Such shows of testosterone, you'd think I was at a fertility clinic."  
  
Pete gripped her arm, halting their walk. "Not. Helping."  
  
Chloe summoned a bright smile from the depths of her well and dragged him with her. "Come on, let's go to the movie room. I want to watch Ferris Bueller's Day off so I can rub in your face that you're still in school and I'm not!"  
  
Releasing the last hold on his reservations about Luthors in general, at least for now, and for her sake, he let his best friend take him past what seemed like hundreds of doors. A person could very easily get lost in this place.  
  
Funny. She seemed to know exactly where she was going.  
  
She fell back into the chair and sighed.  
  
"If it takes so much out of you, why do you have him come over?"  
  
Chloe groaned. She knew she should have checked the room when she'd walked in. "Because he's my friend."  
  
"So? Clark's my friend and if I'm too busy or don't feel like dealing with his latest tale about Lana, I tell him so." He softened the statement with a smirk.  
  
She sat up straighter, seeing the amused glint in his eyes. "Yeah, well, when you don't go to school, or the Talon anymore, you kinda get left out of the loop."  
  
"So basically, you're using Mr. Ross for news." Lex wove through two chairs and a table to rest his hip against the stairwell across from her. "Even though we have just about every connection to the outside world right here."  
  
"Hey, can I help it if I'm not ready to use the resources at hand just yet? I have to get used to having five dining rooms and a movie theater first."  
  
Typical stubborn Chloe.  
  
Lex raised the blue water bottle to his lips and sipped. "You know my brother's coming for a visit in a few days." The bottle hovered in front of his chest. "School might not seem like too bad an alternative after a few days with him."  
  
"C'mon Lex. He's a teenager, like me. How bad could it be?"  
  
Ah. Famous last words.  
  
She saw him arrive. And watched, unobserved, while he walked into the place like he owned it. As the light filtered in through the many windows, painting the young man in an array of colored shadows, Chloe sat at the top of the stairs, slightly hidden from view. She watched as he dumped his bags with a thud and sighed dramatically.  
  
"It's good to be home."  
  
She rolled her eyes. He'd lived here for all of what--three days?--when he kicked Lex out, but apparently that was enough time to call it home. "Arrogant. Who the hell does he think he is, coming into my hou--" Her eyes widened and she stopped abruptly.  
  
"Glad to see you're feeling possessive of the place. Someone needs to."  
  
"Lex--"  
  
He gave her an amused smile and slowly led her down the stairs to his office. "Come on. There's someone I'd like you to meet."  
  
He hated when Lex kept him waiting. They both knew that Lex had been informed of his arrival before he had even walked through the front doors. There was really no excuse for this and he personally thought Lex should have been the one waiting.  
  
As a show of indifference, Lucas chose to sit facing the window, with his back to the door. It wasn't as if he was going to be the surprised one, after all. No sooner had he reassured himself of the fact then did Lex walk through the door followed by a still-too-thin Chloe.  
  
Lucas grinned to himself and turned around, fully braced for the outrage that was surely about to come.  
  
Chloe took in the leather jacket, dark jeans and sunglasses tucked casually into his black tee shirt--all details she hadn't really paid attention to when she was watching his arrival before.  
  
Her eyes narrowed. "It was you!"  
  
Lucas turned innocent eyes to his brother. "Do you know what she's talking about?"  
  
"Not a clue. Chloe, allow me to introduce you to my brother Lucas," Lex smoothly interrupted, moving to the safety of his desk.  
  
"We've already met," she spat, her green eyes fiery with indignation. "Lucas was the one responsible for practically stuffing me into a trash can."  
  
He shook his head sadly, with the slightest hint of condescension. "I wish I knew what you were talking about."  
  
Lex frowned and directed his gaze to her. "I didn't know anyone tried to stuff you into a trashcan."  
  
She clamped her mouth shut and glared at the younger Luthor.  
  
Lucas shrugged. "Innocent party, over here."  
  
"I'm not so sure," Lex glanced again at the fuming blonde. "Maybe she has a point."  
  
"Don't you think she would have told you if we'd bumped into each other?"  
  
"Chloe's never met you before," Lex said, "how would she know?"  
  
"I've been in the paper, y'know."  
  
"And she is quite familiar with the media. Yet somehow she didn't recognize you. Why is that, Lucas?"  
  
"I'm not sure, Lex."  
  
"--Stop it! Just stop talking about me like I'm not even here!"  
  
They paused in their conversation to watch her speak animatedly. "For all I know, you could have sent Lucas to throw me around like a rag doll," she pointed at Lex. "And right now you're just pretending you don't know what's going on."  
  
Chloe snatched up a thin gray book neither of the men had seen her bring in. She headed for the doors, "And I'm not the end all and be all to things journalistic," she tossed over her shoulder, storming out and slamming the doors behind her.  
  
After a minute of silence, Lucas sat down in front of his brother. "Does she usually do that to your business acquaintances?"  
  
Still staring at the doors Lex distractedly replied, "I haven't yet introduced her to anyone but you." He shook out of it and reached for the phone. "If she keeps that up much longer, I'm going to have to get those doors rehinged."  
  
And the day got worse. Actually, it got pretty damn bad, and if today was anything to go by, things were heading towards horrific.  
  
Aside from that horrible first meeting--which Chloe admitted she still harbored some hostility over--in the span of his first 15 minutes, he'd managed to piss her off even further, spill coffee on her favorite shirt, step on her foot, kick her out of the screening room, steal the remote and send her fleeing for safety in Lex's study.  
  
"He's insane! Send him home!"  
  
Lex wavered between smirking at her and wondering just how much trouble it would get him in. "Normally, this would be where I say, "I told you so," but I really don't think that's what you want to hear."  
  
"What I want to hear is that you're sending him home."  
  
"--Now, why would I do that? I'm the only one who can kick his ass at pool."  
  
Chloe mumbled something under her breath about Luthors and their obsession with controlling things. Aloud, she said determinedly, "Lex, I will take pool lessons from a master until I can wipe the floor with you, if you promise to send him away."  
  
A brief grin swept over his face so quickly it stopped her heart for a beat. "With an offer like that, I can't say I'm too inclined on sending him away either. Why don't you take those lessons and then try to beat us both?"  
  
She bit back a scathing remark when she saw the twinkling in his eyes, and finally realized just how unreasonable she was being. She was probably just overtired. Normally she wouldn't let anyone get to her this much. "Okay, look. I'll give him another chance. But he only gets one. After that, he'd better get ready. 'Cause I can bring the war straight into this place and divide it down the middle. And no one will be safe, not even you."  
  
A cough startled her from her announcement. She closed her eyes in embarrassment. "You're not here."  
  
Lucas winked at his brother and took Chloe by the arm. "I think we got off on the wrong foot. After all, you're practically family now and--" he bit his lip, searching for the right way to phrase things, "family doesn't normally make war statements this early in the game."  
  
She opened her eyes and raised a brow.  
  
"Okay, so maybe this family does, but really. If we're going to be living like this for a while, we should try to at least be civil."  
  
Chloe eyed him warily. "How long are you here for?"  
  
"Until my spring term starts again." He saw her skeptical look and added, "at least another six weeks."  
  
With her jaw open, she turned to Lex pleadingly. He merely shook his head at the two of them and went back to work. "I wash my hands of this. You two have to settle this on your own."  
  
Growling under her breath, Chloe turned back to Lucas. "Fine. But there's a snowball's chance in hell that we're going to come out of liking each other."  
  
Lucas put his arm around her shoulders and hugged her against his side. "Didn't you know by now, Chloe? Our family lives in Hell."  
  
She had to give him credit. The boy had done his homework. He driven them into town, breezed through only two of the six stop signs, and marched her straight into the Talon, where he made her sit in a comfy chair while he got them drinks. Lucas returned with two steaming mugfuls of some whipped cream confection and a wide grin. From inside his leather jacket, he pulled out three papers. The Daily Planet, The Inquisitor, and the local Metropolitan High School.  
  
"Thought you'd like to see your competition," he remarked offhandedly, watching as she came alive within seconds of reading. She didn't respond as she took in the news, scanned over the headlines and finished, not too long after, with a contented sigh.  
  
"It really fascinates you, doesn't it?"  
  
She looked up from stirring her drink. "What, Metropolis?"  
  
"No," he waved his hand at the papers. "All of this."  
  
With a rueful smile, Chloe admitted, "Yeah. I guess it does. After," she sipped some of her drink, still unwilling to talk about her father's death, "I was in a fog. My journalism's been the only thing that kept me going. It's always been there for me."  
  
Lucas nodded in understanding. "And when you were in Metropolis that day," he smirked, "What were you investigating?"  
  
"What makes you so sure I was investigating anything?" She shot back, folding her arms.  
  
"Let's just call it a hunch."  
  
Chloe wondered if she was ready to share her information with the newly adopted Luthor. He seemed different from Lex and Lionel, less affected by his last name and what it could do for him; more carefree than either of his family could ever hope to be. But she wasn't ready to give it up yet. Especially since she hadn't decided if she liked him or not. "The jury's still out on that," was her cryptic reply.  
  
He didn't press her further and she appreciated that. "Let me know when that changes."  
  
"I will." She said, and was surprised to find she meant it.  
  
Who was this rogue Luthor and how had he gotten under her skin so fast?  
  
Suddenly uncomfortable with the way things were going, she shifted in her seat nervously and rummaged through her bag. "We should probably get going."  
  
With eyes that seemed all too knowing, Lucas merely nodded.  
  
He escorted them out of the building and they drove back to the manor in silence.  
  
That night, when Chloe was in bed, she grabbed the gray journal from under her pillow. She looked at the clock on the nightstand. Lex wasn't due for another half hour, at least. She had time.  
  
And all of the sudden, she knew what to write. She'd been carrying the journal around with her for days, not knowing what to do with it. Knew her pen was flying across the paper and she almost couldn't get the words down fast enough. When she finally stopped to get her thoughts organized and make sure she'd gotten everything out, Lex was sitting next to her in the bed, reading papers over.  
  
Feeling her gaze, he looked up. "Looks intense."  
  
Protective of the small book, she hugged it to her chest. "It is. It's personal."  
  
The corner of his mouth quirked up. "I wasn't going to ask."  
  
Feeling a tad sheepish, she relaxed, and closed it up, putting it in the nightstand drawer. "Sorry. I'm a little paranoid."  
  
"Comes with the territory," he almost smiled, setting his papers down. "You wouldn't understand this family half as well as you do if you didn't begin to take on some of our characteristics."  
  
"You know, that doesn't bother me half as much as it should," she thoughtfully replied.  
  
This time he did smile. "I suppose that's a compliment, in an odd sort of way." Lex watched as she kept silent, quietly wrapped up in her thoughts. "Ready to call it a night?"  
  
She met his eyes evenly and nodded slowly. "Yeah. I think I am."  
  
He flicked off the lights and drew the covers up to her shoulders. "I know you're rolling your eyes."  
  
"You just practically tucked me in," she groused. "What the hell am I supposed to do?"  
  
He chuckled and turned over. "It if bothers you, go jump into bed with Lucas. He's right down the hall."  
  
She stiffened. "Okay, I'm getting used to him, but I don't think I'll ever be ready for that."  
  
"Never say never. Look where you are now."  
  
Look where she was now, hmm? Inside a huge mansion, sleeping next to Lex Luthor, with more access than should ever be granted a 17 year old... and still, somehow, not completely numb to it all.  
  
"You're special," Lex said into the darkness, as if hearing her thoughts. "Don't let that change. Ever."  
  
"I'm going to have to change someday," she said wistfully.  
  
"Not before you're ready."  
  
Her lips curved up in a smile at his firm reply. "With comments like that, it's a wonder you haven't been doing this all your life."  
  
He was silent and then moved to a near sitting position. She heard a drawer open. Seconds later, a dark bundle was resting next to her head. Chloe reached for it.  
  
"I can feel how cold your feet are from over here."  
  
She rolled her eyes again. The man made sure his house was a balmy 68 degrees, all year round, but had a thing when her feet were the slightest bit cold. She reached under the covers and slipped the socks on. "Better?"  
  
"Much."  
  
As she was drifting off to sleep, a thought occurred to her. "Lex?"  
  
"Yes?" He sounded a little groggy.  
  
"Does Lucas know about..."  
  
"Not unless you feel like telling him anytime soon."  
  
"Oh. Okay."  
  
Lex smirked, and closed his eyes.  
  
"I saw that."  
  
"Go to sleep. I promise you can beat me up about it in the morning."  
  
When she didn't reply, he turned over to make sure she was okay. Chloe was out cold. He smiled and went to sleep content.  
  
Chloe now has a livejournal. Links don't display correctly in the formatting here, but I will tell you that her username is: grayroom. 


	7. Chapter Six

**GONE CHAPTER SIX**

** Author's notes**: I really thought I had uploaded this a long time ago. It's up at both my Livejournal and Sorry, guys!

The next few days were quieter than Chloe had expected with Lucas' presence. They had all settled into an odd routine--almost eerily like a family. If Lucas thought anything of the fact that she and Lex came down for breakfast together, he didn't voice his opinion. At least not to her.

Instead, Chloe found herself warming to the young man. He was almost two years older than her--but that was less than Lex's five--and he enjoyed being his age.

Which was not to say he was incapable of being mature when the situation called for it.

No, certainly not.

But she didn't feel she had to be strong all the time--or that he was watching her constantly, always observing her behavior. Even though Lex had told her time and time again to be herself and let her emotions speak for her, he wasn't doing the same.

It was really hard to keep baring raw parts of your soul to someone who wouldn't even reveal how he felt.

She was eating strawberries when Lex asked her about her schoolwork. "What?"

He favored her with a sideways glance. "I was wondering if you needed any more help with your algebra."

Chloe bit down hard on another strawberry. "No, I'm okay."

"You're sure?"

She set her fork down with a snap and met his gaze evenly. "I said I was fine."

Lucas cleared his throat. "Pass the butter." They both glared at him. He put his hands up. "Don't kill me. I just want to put some on my toast."

Unsure of why she was so mad all of the sudden, Chloe pushed away from the table and stood up. She grabbed the butter dish on the way out and set it in front of Lucas. "Here."

The door slammed shut. A vase fell off its post and shattered to the floor.

Lex pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes.

Lucas finished his toast. "You just had to push her, didn't you?"

He looked up in surprise. "What?"

"Are you blind? She's upset."

"I saw that."

The younger man drank down his orange juice and stifled a burp. "You just steamrolled her, Lex. You saw she was upset and instead of backing off, you kept pushing her."

"She needs to get moving with her work, Lucas."

"I'd like to think that I know you reasonably well by now. I know you're not the monster that everyone thinks you are. But sometimes people need space instead of being forced into keeping busy. Chloe is one of those people."

Lex frowned. "I know that."

"Then why did you do it?" Lucas asked reasonably, poking at the marshmallows in his cereal. For some reason, he really liked Lucky Charms. Maybe it was the colors.

"Because that's what--" Lex stopped. That's what his father had done to him. Kept him busy, whether he liked it or not. "I should go apologize."

"No," Lucas said, firmly enough to draw Lex's attention to him. "Let her go. She needs to learn to stand on her own two feet again. She can't do that if you're always coddling her."

The fact that Chloe had said more or less the same thing a few weeks ago didn't help. "I think I know what I'm doing, Lucas."

"Do you?" He stood up and walked away, patting his brother on the shoulder on the way out. " 'Cause if you did, you'd see that I'm right."

"Hey."

Chloe looked up from her lap. Lucas stood above her, blocking out the sun. "Hey. Lex send you out here?"

"Have you always been this paranoid?" He dropped beside her with a sigh that ruffled her hair. "The last time I checked, you and my brother got along pretty well."

For lack of anything else to say, Chloe blurted out, "I sleep with him."

Lucas didn't even blink. "Your point? You must not sleep well if you're this pissed at him during the day."

She frowned. "But I'm not. I mean, I am, but--I don't know. He just--he doesn't tell me anything! And--I'm supposed to tell him everything, and just up and pretend that things are okay, when they're not." She shaded her face against the sun to look at him. "Is that some sort of Luthor survival instinct?"

He leaned against the base of the tree and glanced at her. "Survival is important. I think Lex is trying to teach you that."

Tiny pieces of grass came loose under her tight grip. She threw them aimlessly and watched as they scattered. "And if it's something I already know?"

"This is about more than algebra, Chloe, and I think you're aware of that."

"He needs to back off." She stubbornly replied.

"I agree." Chloe gaped at him. "What? He hovers. I've called him on it."

"He does seem a little more defensive since you arrived."

"I feel the love already." His sarcasm was refreshing. Chloe relished the comfort she had in his presence and chose not to comment.

"He's trying to get you strong again."

"I am strong."

Lucas arched a brow. "Yeah? Prove it to him."

The wind blew softly and lifted the wisps of hair around her face. She turned determined eyes on him. "Fine. I will."

He watched her as she picked up her things and walked back to the mansion. Once she was out of sight, his lips curled up in a smile.

Things were looking up already.

She found Lex in his office with a few of the staff. He caught sight of her and finished up his business, dismissing them with a few words.

"Chloe. About this morning--"

"Don't worry about it. What was that?"

Lex watched the rest of the staff depart. "I'm having a business meeting tonight. A few members on the board are looking to hire some new blood, and the plan is to get a general idea of what we're looking for before the interviews begin."

Chloe tangled her fingers in the belt loops of her jeans. "You're replacing my dad, right?"

His face was carefully blank. "Not necessarily. But I won't lie to you. Your father was an asset to the company. It will be hard to find someone half as good as he was."

She took a deep breath and looked at the stained glass windows. They were a muddled mixture of colors and shapes, blurry and clear at the same time. "Can I come?"

"You want to be at the meeting?" The surprise was evident in his voice.

She shrugged. "I'm easily bored these days. It might be interesting. And if you won't tell me more about what's going on in your life, then I guess I'll just have to find out another way."

Chloe left without waiting for an answer. The only reminder of her presence was the faint smell of cherries.

Lex reached for his water and sipped slowly. She was starting to get her spine back. And if she wanted to come to his business meetings, that was perfectly fine by him.

At the very least, it would make things interesting.

A pair of black pants and a blue sweater sat on her bed when she finally made it to her room. While she slept with Lex, she wouldn't share his room. That was too... weird. It made her uncomfortable to think of how scarily domestic their arrangement could become if she just gave in and started leaving a few of her things in his room.

It was almost as if he was watching her to see what she would do. She got that impression a lot, but more so when they were alone and there was no one else to interfere.

She showered and played idly with her makeup before putting the clothes on. They fit perfectly. Hmph. Chloe knew for a fact that all her clothes from... before, no longer fit. They were about two sizes too big. Of course, then there was Lex. And who really wanted to know how he knew what size she was wearing.

It wasn't until she was trying to will some color into her cheeks, however, that she saw the beading on the top. A faint nonsensical pattern wove its beaded way along her chest and waist. She was intrigued to see the beading continued all over her back. Understated enough to be respectable, but not totally lacking all personality.

Chloe grabbed a pair of red jeweled chandelier earrings on her way out. They had been a gift from Lana during an impulsive trip into the jewelry store. When she wore them, she thought of the memory fondly. But only for a moment.

She had a man she needed to analyze. Time to get her head in the game.

Chloe wasn't sure how she felt about going into this. Lex was no doubt assuming that she would remain levelheaded and calm throughout the meeting--and she had no desire to disappoint him. She racked her mind for even the briefest mention of her father's coworkers and realized that her dad had always been very good about not bringing his work home with him.

Or at least, not so that she'd notice.

Which was all well and good, if you discounted the fact that she didn't know a soul in there. She ducked into a room at random and wandered inside until she found a clock. Dinner didn't start for another twenty minutes. That would give her time enough to try and find something on these new partners. At the very least, she would be able to check up on her progress breaking into the LexCorp private files.

Chloe sped off for the Gray Room before anyone ever knew she'd stepped foot in the hallway.

It was rare for Chloe to come into her little sanctuary and not walk about the room aimlessly. She liked to get a feel for the place that was fast becoming her second home and it was a small comfort to check things out herself and make sure that nothing had been disturbed. She trusted Lex implicitly when he'd told her the room was hers. She knew he kept up his end of the bargain about not letting anyone else in. But it just calmed her to see her precious space remain the same day in and day out.

It meant that even though her emotions and thoughts changed daily, this was her one constant.

Tonight, of course, she had work to do. She went straight for the computer and got to work.

Hacking into LexCorp wasn't hard, really. It required the usual smattering of passwords and firewall breaches, but as long as you covered your tracks, it was fine. The number one thing that exposed many a new hacker was their over-confidence.

Chloe wasn't overconfident in her abilities. She trusted that she would be able to get the information she needed, but not at the expense of revealing herself. Covering up her tracks would keep her out of Security's way while she wandered the system files. By the time they found out someone was in the system, she was already done.

Moore, Phillip

Herring, James

Jacobs, Edward

Lex was also on the board, and she had a feeling they were searching for a fifth member to take her father's place. Chloe studied the photos offline, just in case. Moore was the tallest. Herring sort of looked like a fish, with big eyes and a floppy looking face. And Jacobs looked old enough to be her grandfather.

Satisfied that she knew what she was walking into, Chloe went back to the LexCorp website and verified the latest press releases. While her comfort level was low, it was always good to be somewhat prepared when going into these things.

A long stretch had her bones and muscles yawning in protest. Chloe stood up and brushed the lint off her pants. She glanced at the clock on her computer and cursed.

She was late.

She made it to the room in record time. Chloe took a minute to smooth down her clothes and settle her hair.

Lex looked up from his drink when she walked in. Lex was the only one who looked up when she walked in.

"Where did they go?"

He took in her appearance, the flushed cheeks and faint sparking her eyes. It made him feel a twinge of regret for what he'd done.

"The meeting was surprisingly productive. We only needed about 20 minutes of the hour I'd allotted. You just missed them," he added unnecessarily.

Her face was unreadable. "And you found the replacement."

His brow lifted. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"For my Dad, Lex." Chloe's voice was flat and her gaze accusing. "That's what this meeting was about, wasn't it? That's why you didn't want me here. You didn't think I could handle it."

"Like you're handling it now?" He mildly observed.

She flushed. "Lex, you didn't even give me a chance."

He watched her silently, as if weighing the odds. "I honestly didn't know the business of LexCorp meant that much to you, Chloe."

Chloe's eyes snapped emerald fire. "That's not what this is about and you know it."

Lex stood and placed his hands flat on the table. "Then what is it about, Chloe?"

Suddenly, she was tired of fighting him. She was tired of pretending that this mattered to her. She didn't even know why she was making such a big deal out of it.

"Nothing."

It was like seeing the fight literally escape from her. Her entire body sagged in defeat. While it wasn't the first time Lex had seen it in a person, it was the first time he cared.

"Chloe--"

She shook her head and slumped into the chair across from him. "Just don't. Please."

After a few moments, Lex headed for the door. It closed silently behind him and Chloe let her eyes close in relief. With a shudder, she let out the sob that she'd been harboring for the past three minutes.

It took willpower not to let loose a whole torrent of hysterics, but she worked on getting her emotions under control. If she wanted to move up, if she wanted to prove herself ready to Lex, it wouldn't be by crying into his dining room table.

Well, one of them, anyway.

Chloe sighed heavily and looked around the room. It was amazing. She'd missed them by minutes. If only she had prepared sooner, or had left the room at an earlier time, and had run faster--_what on earth was that_?

A thin manila folder rested two seats away.

Like a woman possessed, she got up from her seat and reached for it. Her eyes fell on the LexCorp logo as she read the documents inside. Her jaw gaped wider as she read on.

"No way." Chloe breathed, taking all the information in.

It suddenly looked like she had work again.

Author's Note: You know the drill--favorite lines and all that. I had been struggling with the end of this for weeks, when suddenly it came to me like this. Ultimately, this was the sort of chapter end I was going for, with a push ahead to the main plot and a bigger part for Lucas. You're also seeing trouble in paradise for Chloe and Lex... foreshadowing of what's to come, perhaps?

Any questions or comments, as always, feel free. Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter Seven

**GONE CHAPTER SEVEN**

** Author's notes**: Just to let everyone know, the formatting here (at doesn't work the best for me and it takes a while to code, so this is the last place that gets updated. This chapter was actually finished about a week and half ago, and it's been posted on my journal (the link can be found through my author page) and at the forums.

- - -

"Listen up, Sunshine."

"Sunshine?"

"Did I stutter?"

"Do you value your life?"

Lucas ignored her. "You've been pouting all morning--"

"I have not."

" -- and we already have one pouting member in this household."

Lex folded down the edge of his newspaper to glare at them. "I resent that."

"So you and I are going to Metropolis."

Chloe sighed loudly. "Another fun day in the city. Just what we need."

"See, that's where you're wrong. You haven't done the city with me. It's a different experience entirely."

She pursed her lips. "So will I need protection?"

Lex almost spat out his coffee. The two teenagers glanced at him.

"Far be it for me to interrupt," he said, coughing into his napkin.

"Why would you need protection?" Lucas asked warily.

Her lips twisted into a smirk. "In case you decide to body check me into a car this time."

He threw his hands up in exasperation. "I'm telling you, it wasn't me."

"Whatever." She rose from her seat and stopped at Lex's end of the table. Chloe leaned down to meet his eyes. "Hey, boy billionaire. You've been reading that same page for the last five minutes."

He lifted his eyes to meet hers. "I happen to find this page interesting."

"Lex. It's the classifieds. You have a job."

"Goodbye, Chloe." He said pointedly, returning to his paper. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction of turning the page.

The smile was clear in her voice when she answered. "Bye, Lex."

She sailed out the door and left the two men in her wake.

"What was that?"

Lucas drained the last of his orange juice. "Looked like Chloe saying goodbye to me."

"Lucas."

He shrugged. "We're just going into the city, Lex. It's not healthy for her to stay cooped up in this place all day." He pushed away from the table. "You really should try to get out more often."

Lex winced at the heavy hand Lucas clapped on his shoulder in passing and stared at his coffee silently.

In all his 22 years, he could not recall acting quite so strangely.

Teenagers.

Had he really been one, once upon a time?

- - -

Lucas preferred to drive into Metropolis, for which Chloe was grateful. There were times when she just didn't want to take a limo everywhere. This was one of those occasions. Also, because of his presence, she didn't have security to deal with, which was another plus.

He liked his music loud, and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel in time with the beat. He'd had a relatively normal life before finding out who he truly was. Which meant that he understood how it felt to be a teenager sometimes.

After a few more miles had passed, he finally lowered the volume. Without taking his eyes off the road, he asked, "So how are you doing with math? Seriously."

Chloe sighed and shifted down in her seat. The leather was warm and forgiving. The seat was heated and although it was a pleasant temperature in the car, she enjoyed the steady warmth at her back. "I'm managing."

His eyebrows lifted but he remained silent, eyes locked on the road ahead.

She took a deep breath and stared straight ahead. "My dad… used to help me with my math. I guess yesterday, I realized I wasn't ready to let anyone take his place. Not even Lex."

Lucas nodded, mock-seriously. "Yeah. It's bad enough you sleep with him."

She shut her eyes in embarrassment. "Should have known that was coming."

He grinned, pushing the car faster as they zoomed past a semi. "I don't think I really want to know."

"It's not like that."

For a heartbeat of a second, Lucas took his eyes off the road to look at her. "It's not?"

"No."

He nodded again, mulling it over. "Okay then. Should be another 20 minutes before we're there. If you refrain from any form of pop music, I suppose I could allow you to pick the next selection."

"That's it? You're not going to make a bigger deal out of this? C'mon, I'm 17 and I'm sleeping with your 22-year-old brother!"

"And you may want to keep that between us," Lucas said calmly. "I'm not entirely sure if that's legal."

Chloe looked amused at his comment. "Since when has that stopped anyone in this family?"

He tilted his head in consideration. She kinda had a point.

"Chloe, whatever happens with you and my brother stays with the two of you. As long as you don't pull me into your drama, I know when to leave things alone. And I believe you when you say that you're not going any further than sleeping with him." She relaxed further into her seat. "…yet."

"Nice." Chloe glared at him as she handed over the CD.

"Dave Matthews Band?" He complained, reluctantly sliding the CD into the player.

"Hey, you're the one who said no pop music. It's not my fault you listen to crap."

"Nirvana is not crap, Chloe."

She turned the volume up and drowned out his voice, preferring instead to listen to a man who sang of girls with broken dreams and bleak futures.

- - -

"I can't believe you talked me into this."

Lucas was too distracted by the game in front of them. "Here, hold this."

Chloe barely had enough time to jam the cotton candy in her mouth before Lucas dumped his jacket, soda -- which she hastily grasped lest it spill all over her -- and popcorn in her arms.

"Uh, note the girl who is currently being buried under your stuff --"

"C'mon," he said, tugging her along. "I want to try this one."

She stumbled after him. "Sure, I'll be your coat rack, thanks for asking."

When they had walked through a particular cluster of people, he placed his hands on her shoulders. "Okay, wait here."

Chloe raised a brow and settled in to watch. Ordinarily, anyone telling her what to do -- especially a male, and a Luthor at that -- would be grounds for some serious verbal abuse. But she was too caught up in watching the purely unselfconscious way Lucas walked over to the stand -- no, that definitely a strut -- and eased his way between the crowd to take a seat at the counter.

She sipped absently at his soda and slung his jacket over her shoulders. The interesting thing with Lucas was that while he was a Luthor, and aware of the power his name carried, he didn't use it the way some his age might have.

Chloe hadn't seen Lex when he'd been Lucas's age, but she had heard the rumors. Needless to say, he made Lucas -- at least in everyday interaction with the public -- look like Clark Kent.

Whether or not that had to do with the fact that Lionel Luthor hadn't been raising him was another thing entirely. Although, rumor had it that Rachel Dunleavy was crazy, so…

Drawing her attention back to the present was the crowd shouting at the carnival booth. The crowd had converged on the attendant and she couldn't really see what was happening.

Lucas came walking out of the crowd holding something long and silvery. As he came closer, Chloe thought she detected the faintest hint of music under the carnival noise.

"For you," he said, presenting the object to her with a flourish.

"Thanks," she said uncertainly, exchanging the soda and popcorn for the gift. "What is it?"

He smiled ever so slightly and put his arm around her. "Chimes."

"And I need these because?"

"How else are you going to drown out Lex's nagging?"

Lucas held her close as she began laughing again.

- - -

They stumbled back into the mansion well after dark. The day had more than tired them out and they'd pretty much walked the entire city of Metropolis. Chloe found that she was exhausted, but in a good way; in a way she hadn't been since before her father died.

"Wanna go back tomorrow?"

"Are you nuts?"

Lucas grinned lopsidedly. "Maybe just a little." He reached for her and slung his arm around her shoulders companionably. "What did I tell you, sunshine? You've never done the city until you've done it with me."

"--Please don't tell me I walked into a proposition." Lex deadpanned from where he was leaning against the doorframe.

"I should be so fortunate." Chloe muttered under her breath.

"Excuse me?"

"Has it escaped your notice that guys don't even look at me nowadays? I'm thinking it has something to do with the fact that I'm starting to belong to this crazy family."

"Of course you belong," Lex put in smoothly, while Lucas stared at her, an idea forming in the back of his mind.

Lucas's sudden silence began to worry her. "What?" Chloe asked, slugging him in the shoulder none too gently.

He shook his head as if to clear it. "Oh, nothing."

Chloe glanced at Lex as if to push it further, but something in his eyes told her not to. "Well, I'll leave you guys to it. Go do man things or whatever." She blew them each a kiss over her shoulder and headed up to Lex's room to get some sleep.

Once out of view, Lex turned to his brother. "What are you thinking?"

He grinned much like the big Christmas tree in Metropolis decorated with thousands of lights. "Just this."

- - -

The next day, Lex took the afternoon off from work and told Chloe and Lucas that he would meet them at the Talon around noon for some things that he wanted to discuss with both of them.

"Sounds ominous," she remarked to Lucas as they walked down Main Street.

"No more cryptic than usual, I'd say," he grabbed her arm as she started to wander away. "Look, that new book you want is here."

They went into the bookstore and walked out about fifteen minutes later, arms laden with packages.

"You know, woman, I just don't understand how you can spend such a small amount of time in there and yet walk away having nearly bought out the store."

"Oh, it's not that bad." Chloe twirled a small bag at her wrist. "Besides, I haven't been in there in months. Do you even know how much catching up I have to do?"

He shot her a dark glance out of the corner of his eye and she bit her lip to keep from smiling at his expression. "Bestsellers, I can understand. But can't you go online for stuff like that and have it sent to the house?"

Not if you were buying books and switching around the covers because you didn't want Lex to know what you were actually reading.

"It's the experience that matters, Lucas. C'mon, embrace it!"

"Kinda hard to embrace anything with all these bags in my hands." Lucas grumbled from behind her, struggling with the many handles and packages he carried. "I'm telling Lex you've really lost your mind this time."

She clapped her hands once in agreement. "You're in luck then, because it looks like he just pulled up in front of the Talon."

"Coffee?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

He sighed heavily and adjusted his grip on the bags. "Lead on, addicted one."

- - -

She sat in the back of the Talon against a bunch of pillows while Lucas ordered their coffee. It was the perfect spot to watch people as they entered the coffee shop and she got to make snap observations in her little quiet spot without anyone making fun of her. She saw Lex walk in and head directly for Lucas.

Lucas rolled his eyes and grudgingly told the girl behind the counter what Chloe guessed was Lex's order. Lex spoke to Lucas and before she knew it, they had both turned in her direction. Lex spotted her immediately and she waved half-heartedly, clearing a space for him. The wolfish grin on Lucas's face came and went so fast she thought she'd imagined it, but before she had time to analyze it, Lex was sitting down next to her.

"Lucas said you didn't do half bad at the bookstore."

She smiled widely. "I cleaned up, Lex. I think half of their merchandise is gone."

He shook his head, smiling back. "As long as it makes you happy -- I just don't know when you're going to have time to read all the books. I mean, if Lucas keeps you as busy as he did yesterday…"

Chloe sat back against the pillows with a heavy sigh. "Please. The only person I spend time with these days is Lucas. Not that I'm ungrateful for the companionship, because no one knows better than Lucas how to have fun, but I just wish there was someone out there who spent time with me because they seriously wanted to get to know me better."

"Like on a date?"

She laughed at the dark look on his face. "Yes! That's what normal girls do my age, Lex. They date. On Friday nights they go to the movies and eat popcorn and hold hands with their boyfriends. And if they're really lucky, they go to Crater Lake and --" She stopped suddenly and noticed his deep frown. "Um, well, look at the stars."

Lex murmured something noncommittally and looked up as Lucas sat down with them.

"Okay, I've got a black coffee for Lex, which is pretty gross, by the way, a caramel mocha for Chloe and a peppermint mocha for me." He set the drinks down gently and dusted his hands off, looking pretty proud of himself.

"That's quite an accomplishment, Lucas. Keep it up and you might be able to get a job here."

"You couldn't afford me." Lucas tried to kick him under the table and Chloe laughed as Lex just barely dodged the hit.

They sipped their drinks quietly, taking a moment to unwind and relax. Once every had what she deemed a fair amount of sustenance, Chloe put her drink down firmly, drawing their attention.

"So what was so important that you had to take the afternoon off from work and intrude on our plans?" She teasingly inquired, dripping a biscotti into her mocha.

"Well, since it involves both of you, I wanted --"

"-- Excuse me." A guy about Chloe's age with dark hair and eyes stood at their table.

"Yeah?" Lucas asked, stretching his legs out lazily.

"You're Chloe, right?"

Chloe blinked and looked at Lex for confirmation. He shrugged. "Hey, don't look at me. I'm not the one with the sudden identity crisis."

She sighed under her breath and treated the boy to a smile. "Yes. What can I do for you?"

He grinned back. "Would you like to go with me on the hayride this Thursday night?"

Chloe blinked again. This was surreal. "Um. Sure." Then she shook her head. "I don't even know your name."

"Oh, it's Michael."

Her bravado completely shot the hell at this point, Chloe could do nothing but nod and give him her address when he asked to pick her up. Lex watched Michael as he walked away.

"Well, that was weird." Chloe shook her head and refocused on Lex. "You were saying?"

"Right. Since you've been spending a lot time together, it has come to my attention that --"

"Hi."

Lex glared at him in annoyance. "Can I help you?"

A blonde haired jock was staring directly at Chloe. She shook her head in disbelief. "Me?"

"You wanna catch a movie tomorrow night?"

It was all she could do to keep her jaw from dropping open in shock. "Uh, sure."

"I'm Brett. I'm on the football team," he helpfully supplied.

"Yeah, we got that, Jock Boy," Lucas said, mocking his letterman jacket.

"So I'll meet you here at seven?"

"Sure."

Brett waltzed away, high with success and nearly tripped over a girl in chair with her book. Chloe watched as he apologized and headed out the door.

"Does this seem bizarre to anyone else besides me?"

They looked at her blankly.

"Weren't you just saying that this was what girls your age did?" Lex asked, sipping at his coffee.

"Well, yeah, but… still. This is weird. I wonder if something is in the water."

After the fourth guy had come up, Lucas could barely hold back his laughter and the smirk on Lex's face was threatening to turn into a genuine smile. Chloe looked up from her drink, beet red and took in their reactions. "Okay, you two. Spill. What's going on?"

"What makes you think that we have anything to do with this?" Lex had the innocent tone down pat, but Chloe knew him well enough by now to see that he was obviously lying through his teeth.

She turned her sharp gaze on Lucas, who finally lost the fight and all but exploded with laughter. Lex couldn't help chuckling himself, and even Chloe had to crack a smile. When Lucas had finally composed himself he managed to get out, "You said last night that you couldn't get a date anymore. We were just trying to show you otherwise."

"I had no idea our plan would be so successful," Lex added, finished with his coffee and sitting with a smirk on his face.

The absurdity of the situation was not lost on Chloe and she realized that she would need to be more careful with what she wished for in the future. These two had an absolutely scary way of making it come true.

- - -

"This is a nice change."

Lex looked at his brother briefly and answered Chloe, "We're getting to spend too much time at home. I thought we could use a night out."

Chloe looked around, taking in the quiet restaurant they were in; indulging a bit in the modern décor and not feeling at all guilty for ordering two desserts. "Well, whatever the reason for it, I'm not complaining."

Lex's mouth quirked up. "Well, I figured if we wanted to spend a night with you this week, we'd have to do it tonight."

She looked puzzled and Lucas jumped in, "Yeah. Since you're Suzy Dates A Lot now."

"You guys. Stop."

Lucas grinned openly and Lex wiped his mouth with a napkin to cover his own smile.

"So what was so important that you had to tell us today?"

"Today?"

Chloe grimaced. "Before the date-athon began."

Lucas snickered and she flicked a few crumbs his way.

"Oh." His face was impassive, leaving no clue as to what he was thinking about.

"You said it involved both of us," Lucas prodded, trying to jog his memory and still stay on Chloe's good side for the rest of the night.

"Right." He set his napkin aside and looked at both of them with a fairly stern impression. "What it basically comes down to is this: you've been spending a lot of time together -- and that's fine -- what's not fine is that you're riding a motorcycle everywhere."

Chloe thought guiltily of the helmet stashed in her room and bit back a smile. "What's wrong with it?"

"For one, it's dangerous." They stared at him blankly. "It is," he insisted.

Not taking his eyes off Lex, Lucas nudged Chloe slightly as if telling her to go with it.

She coughed to cover her surprise. "So what do you propose we do about it? Lucas won't drive in my car."

"That's because it's a hippie, flower power, wanna-go-feed-the-animals-till-the -sun-goes-down, chick car. I'd lose my rep if I was caught riding around in that thing."

"Hence the motorcycle," Chloe finished, sitting back in the booth and resting her shoulder against Lucas in an unconscious show of solidarity.

"Then I guess there is no other option."

"There's not?" She looked very confused.

Lex shook his head. "You'll just have to get another car."

Her jaw dropped open.

Lucas signaled their server. "Check, please?"

- - -

And hoooooooly crap. It's done. Thank god. That thing was a BEAST.

Note: There is another Chlex story up at and at my journal called Harder to Breathe. It's about Chloe and Lex and their struggle during S3, esp. after Shattered.

Quick poll: Would anyone be interested in reading a Chlucas story? because I have one of those ready, but I wasn't sure if it was worth the effort to post here or to keep it as a journal-exclusive thing. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed the update!


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